TABLE OF CONTENTS

BIRCHAS HARO’EH  אמר לחכמה אחתי את GIVE ME A BREAK! RABBI BARUCH SEEING IS BELIEVING SHNEUR AGRONIN PESACH MENDELSON RABBI YONI STONE PAGE 2 PAGE 18 PAGE 36 SHEMA KOLEINU IS IT RIGHT TO LIGHT A VORT PER NIGHT RIGHT TO LEFT OR LEFT KEEP GOING UP STAFF YAAKOV WEINSTOCK SHUA PARISER TO RIGHT? PAGE 38 EZRA SCHECHTER PAGE 21 EDITORSINCHIEF

PAGE 4 YISROEL HOCHMAN, ‘21

SHIMI KAUFMAN, ‘21 CHANUKAH: THE START THE FIRE WHAT'S THE DEAL MISSING MESECHTA HEAD WRITER SHIMI KAUFMAN WITH GELT? YOSEF WEINER PAGE 23 ISAAC COHEN PAGE 6 YESHURIN SORSCHER ’21 PAGE 41 ASSISTANT HEAD WRITER

WHAT ARE WE REALLY WHY FLICKERING A GOOD OL’ SLAP YOSEF FLAMENBAUM ’21 CELEBRATING ON LIGHTS ON CHANUKAH IN THE FACE CHANUKAH? ISN'T THAT BAD RAFFI WEIL EMANUEL IZRAILOV MEIR NESS EXECUTIVE EDITORS PAGE 26 PAGE 9 PAGE 42 YITZCHAK HAGLER

MEIR MORELL ’22

WHY IS THERE NO MAOZ TZUR: ORDINARY MIRACLES DISTRIBUTION WHAT IS THAT? MENTION OF THE OIL IN AARON SISSER AL HANISSIM? MANAGER MEIR MORELL PAGE 28 PAGE 10 YONATAN BURNS PAGE 44 NOAM STEINMETZ ‘21

RABBINIC ADVISOR

RABBI BARUCH THE MESSAGE SHOULD THE MENORAH THE SOURCE OF TRUE OF THE OIL GO BACK OUTSIDE? JEWISH MIGHT PESACH MENDELSON AKIVA KRA RABBI MAYER SCHILLER RABBI SHIMON SCHENKER PAGE 13 PAGE 30 PAGE 46 ADMINISTRATION

RABBI JOSHUA KAHN, HEAD OF SCHOOL

RABBI MICHAEL TAUBES, MITZVOS AND THE LIGHT IS WITHIN ROSH YESHIVA אין בין חנוכה MIRACLES ARYEH לפורים אלא... ELISHA PRICE NOAM STEINMETZ MARGOLIN PAGE 15 PAGE 33 PAGE 48 RABBI SHIMON SCHENKER, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

RABBI DOV EMERSON, DIRECTOR OF TEACHING CHANUKAH: FROM AHARON THE SANCTITY WOMEN AND AND LEARNING TO THE CHASHMONAYIM OF SHABBOS PIRSUMEI NISAH SAMUEL GORMAN PINCHUS COHEN YISROEL HOCHMAN PAGE 17 PAGE 49 PAGE 34 GIVE ME A BREAK!

The Gemara in Shabbos (21b) famously recounts the terse but inspiring history behind Chanukah. While the Gemara describes the events that took SHNEUR place, the Rishonim and Acharonim are busy discussing the actual meaning AGRONIN of the name “Chanukah”, and what aspect of the holiday it refers to. The Ran, for example, explains that the name quite overtly refers to the YUHSB ‘21 rededication, or chanukas habayis, of the altar in the second Beis Hamikdash following its ritual contamination at the hands of the oppressive Shneur Agronin is a Seleucid Greeks. Citing a secondary opinion, the Ran explains that the Senior at MTA. He lives in Hollywood, Florida, and is “Chanukah” is actually a compound word composed of two phrases - currently a talmid in Rabbi “Chanu,” meaning “they rested,” and “kah,” constituting the number Cohen's Beis Medrash Katan Shiur. twenty-five by adding the letters chaf and hei according to their gematria values. Thus, Chanukah denotes the well-deserved rest finally attained by the Jewish warriors on the 25th day of the month of Kislev.

However, the Maharsha, an early acharon, points out a glaring inconsistency within this second approach. Since the days of Chanukah do not include an abstention from melachah (within the context of Shabbos and Yom Tov) to any extent, what “rest” did the Chashmonayim supposedly come to enjoy upon their victory against the occupying Greeks? If anything, the Chashmonayim found themselves performing one melachah particularly diligently during the eight-day afair - that of sechitah, the extraction of liquids (oil from olives in this case)! The Maharsha consequently favors the first approach, relating Chanukah to the chanukas habayis performed by the Jews after reentering the Beis Hamikdash.

Yet, upon further reflection, the Maharsha’s objection appears strange. The Maharsha asks how the Chashmonayim “rested” on the 25th of Kislev if melachah was not forbidden to them. Presumably, we could ask the exact opposite: how did they not rest!? The Chashmonayim, at this point, found themselves victorious after fighting a lengthy, tiresome, and undesired war with what was among the most powerful empires in human history. At long last, the fighting was over, and they would be able to resume their service in the Beis Hamikdash. Could there be a greater form of rest than this? Why does the Maharsha seem to only categorize “rest” in the context of whether or not a prohibition of melachah exists, while negating the more metaphorical but still quite legitimate rest of post-war peacetime?

Perhaps an answer to this question can be found upon a broader analysis of the oppression endured by the Jews at the hands of the Greeks. The Rambam writes in his Mishneh Torah (Hilchos Megillah U’Chanukah 3:1) that the Greeks forbade Torah observance - but, never did they actually threaten the Jewish people as a whole with genocide, as the evil Haman did around two centuries previous. The plight of the Jews at that time was of purely spiritual nature, not marred by any widespread physical afiction, 2 unlike the Jews of Persia under Haman and Achashveirosh, or of those to come over two millennia later during World War II. Thus, when the Chashmonayim brought an end to Greek rule in Eretz Yisroel, an epoch of spiritual freedom began, which would last for another two-hundred or so years.

With this in mind, it may then be logical to view the ultimate and primary goal of the Chashmonayim as not only Eretz Yisroel’s physical independence from any foreign ruler, but the spiritual liberation of her people. While the Jews collectively resumed their uninhibited observance of Torah and mitzvos in realizing this goal, the brave warriors themselves found little spiritual respite despite this concept shining at the top of their agenda. Yes, their strenuous conflict had come to an end, but before them laid a long and tumultuous road to Klal Yisroel’s spiritual reconstruction, which began with a clear violation of spiritual rest - the pressing of olives. Thus, the very climax of Jewish sovereignty in Eretz Yisroel marked by the events surrounding Chanukah is forged in an act forbidden on Shabbos and Yom Tov, along with many others involved in rededicating the Beis HaMikdash. Perhaps it is in light of this that the Maharsha takes issue with the notion that the Chashmonayim rested on the 25th of Kislev - when it comes to the supreme spiritual rest that they struggled valiantly and victoriously to obtain for the nation, they indeed found little, if any, amongst themselves.

On Chanukah, it could be worthwhile to remember that we too enjoy “spiritual rest” in the form of our Torah observance as citizens of a nation whose philosophical foundation guarantees our freedom in such a regard. While melachah may not be forbidden on Chanukah as it is on Shabbos and Yom Tov, perhaps it should be a time of reflection upon the fact that, today, our abstention from such activities on those occasions is a right we enjoy in stark contrast to our ancestors living under Greek rule. May we resultantly renew the value we place on Torah and mitzvos as a whole, calling to mind the sacrifices of those who came before us to grant their descendants such sublime liberty of the soul.

3 IS IT RIGHT TO LIGHT RIGHT TO LEFT OR LEFT TO RIGHT?

When I was asked to write a dvar Torah for Chanukah, the first thing I thought was “how can it be Chanukah already? It was just Sukkos!” Yet here we are- EZRA Chanukah 5781. With Chanukah comes the mitzvah of lighting the SCHECHTER menorah, and there are many questions and diferening opinions about how to go about doing that. One of the more famous machloksim relating to the YUHSB ‘22 mitzvah is between Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel, about how many candles we should light each night. Beis Shammai holds that we should start with 8 Ezra Schechter is a Junior candles on the first night, and do one less candle each night. This is in order at MTA. He lives in Bergenfield, New Jersey, to correspond with what happened with the miracle in the Beis Hamikdash and is currently a talmid in - as each day went by, the oil continued to run lower and lower, and the Rabbi Mendelson's Shiur. candle got dimmer and dimmer. So too, we should light fewer candles each night. Beis Hillel has a diferent approach, that we should start with one candle, and each day add an additional candle, corresponding to the fact that the miracle got greater and greater each night the oil continued to burn. We follow Beis Hillel, starting with one candle and adding another each night.

Now that we know how many candles we light each night, what order do we light them in? The Maharik (quoted by the Beis Yosef) writes that we start with lighting one candle on the first night all the way on the right, and then adding each new candle to the left of the others, lighting each night’s candles from left to right (ie. newest to oldest). This argument is based on a Gemara in Sotah (15b) which says “...kol pinos she’atah ponah lo yihu elah derech yamin”- any time a person turns, he should turn to the right. Because of this, the Maharik says, we start lighting all the way on the left, and continue turning towards the rightmost candle. The Terumas Hadeshen agrees, but only in a case where one is lighting in a doorway with a mezuzah, as the mitzvah was performed in the time of the Gemara. Since the doorway has a mezuzah on the right side, we start at the furthest candle and make our way towards the mezuzah. However, if one is lighting without a mezuzah, the Terumas Hadeshen holds that the first candle to be lit should be the one closest to the door. This means that if one is lighting on the right side of the door (ie. the menorah is on the right side as you enter the door), then they should light the rightmost candle first, as that is the one closest to the frame of the door. However, if one is lighting on the left side of the door, then they should light the leftmost candle first, as that would be the candle closest to the frame of the door.

The Levush and Taz argue with the Maharik’s source from the Gemara in Sotah, and hold that that Gemara only says that one should usually turn to the right, not that it is required to change directions if one started turning to the left. Therefore, they argue that one should start lighting the menorah with the rightmost candle, and then continue lighting the rest of the candles

4 right to left. Lastly, the Gra holds that one should light whichever candle is closest to the door first, even if it isn’t the newest candle, and even if then you have to light right to left. The Chofetz Chaim writes (Mishna Berurah Siman 676) that another reason why one lights from left to right is because one places the candles right to to left, so one’s hand is on the left side. We have a concept of ein ma’arvin al hamitzvos, that we try not to pass over mitzvos for even a moment. Since your hand begins on the left side, it would be impossible to light from right to left without passing over all the candles first. Therefore, we light from left to write. The general practice today is to follow the Mishna Berurah, starting by placing the candles from right to left, and then lighting them from left to right, starting with the newest leftmost candle.

5 CHANUKAH: THE MISSING MESECHTA

Chanukah lasts eight days. The Shulchan Aruch discusses numerous laws pertaining to Chanukah. Yet, the mishnah pays almost no attention to YOSEF WEINER Chanukah, save for one time in Maseches Bikkurim, where Chanukah is brought as the last time to bring bikkurim, and in Maseches Bava Kamma, YUHSB ‘23 where the mishnah discusses a case of flax being carried by a camel that catches fire from Chanukah candles left in front of a store. Besides these Yosef Weiner is a Sophomore at MTA. He passing mentions, Chanukah is not referred to in the mishnah. Furthermore, lives in Teaneck, New in the whole Talmud Bavli, only two and a half dapim discuss Chanukah and Jersey, and is currently a talmid in Rabbi Kerner's its laws. The problem is compounded when Chanukah is compared to its Shiur. Yosef also writes a fellow Rabbinic holiday, Purim. An entire masechta is devoted to Purim and weekly column for Shema Koleinu, titled "Halacha its laws; in fact, according to Rav Hershel Schachter, Rabbeinu Yehuda Hashavuah", exploring a Hanassi padded Maseches Megillah with laws that are not relevant to Purim diferent topic in halachah in depth each week. (such as the “Ein Bein” mishnayos) in order to give Purim the distinction of having its own masechta. By virtue of the fact that the mishayos seldom mention Chanukah, and that not even a perek, nevermind a masechta, is devoted to it and its laws, it seems that Rabeinu Yehuda Hanasi was attempting to downplay its significance. Thus, the question must be asked: what was Rebbe’s motivation in minimizing the mentions of Chanukah in Shas?

The Chasam Sofer suggests that the reason that Rabeinu Yehudah Hanasi, the compiler and editor of the Mishnah, deemphasized Chanukah, was because he was a descendant of the family of Dovid, the family whom the malchus (kingship) was intended for. The Chashmonayim of the Chanukah story wrongfully took the malchus for their own family, rather than resuming it to the Davidic line. This was a violation of Yaakov’s blessing that “the scepter [of rulership] shall not depart from Yehudah”. The Chashmonayim, as kohanim, had no right to take the meluchah from its rightful owners. Accordingly, Rabeinu Yehudah Hanasi downplayed Chanukah as a critique of this error of the Chashmonayim.

Rav Yissocher Frand, in the name of Rav Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik, explains the Mishnah and Gemara’s lack of focus on Chanukah by explaining an apparent contradiction between a Gemara in Maseches Moed Katan and Maseches Avodah Zarah. The Gemara in Moed Katan states that if one observes a sefer Torah being burnt, he must tear keriyah (ripping clothing in mourning) twice, once for the parchment, and another time for the letters. However, the Gemara in Avodah Zarah recounts that Rav Chanina ben Traydon was murdered by the Romans, who wrapped him in a sefer Torah and then lit the scroll on fire. As he and the sefer Torah were burning, his talmidim asked him what he saw. He replied that he saw the parchment burning, but the letters were flying away. Rav Soloveitchik pointed out an apparent contradiction. The Gemara in Moed Katan states that one must

6 tear keriyah for the burning of the letters of the sefer Torah, but the Gemara in Avodah Zarah states that when a sefer Torah is burnt, the letters fly away unscathed. Rav Soloveitchik resolves the contradiction by pointing out that there is a fundamental diference between the two cases. In the case of the Gemara in Moed Katan, the one burning the sefer Torah was Yehoyakim ben Yoshiyahu. Rav Soloveitchik explains that since the Torah was given to the Jewish people, they possess a special relationship with it. Along with that positive relationship, however, comes the negative fact that they can also desecrate a sefer Torah. Due to the Jew’s special relationship to the Torah, he has a special capability to destroy and desecrate its kedushah. However, in the case in Avodah Zarah, it was the Romans who were burning the sefer Torah. Since the Torah was never given to the Romans, they do not have the ability to truly defile it. Consequently, the letters of the sefer Torah escaped unscathed. Rav Soloveitchik extended this idea to the difernce between Rome and Greece. The predominant theme of Rome is churban, destruction, such as that of the Beis Hamikdash, which we mourn on fast days such as Tisha B’av. However, the main theme of the Greeks was tuma’ah (defilement). Non-Jews are able to destroy a Torah, but they cannot debase it or afect its kedushah. In contrast, by the Greeks, the threat was not only from the Yevanim, but from the Misyavnim, those Jews who assimilated into the Greek culture and mindset. They became Greek-Jews / Jewish-Greeks. Due to them being Jewish, they had the ability to defile the Torah itself. By the churban, it was just the Romans, and since they bear no connection to the Torah, they are not able to truly defile it. Therefore, Rav Chanina ben Traydon witnessed the letters flying away. On the other hand, regarding the Greeks, there were also Jews involved, who possess a connection to the Torah, and can even debase its letters. Consequently, Rav Soloveitchik concludes, Chanukah is not accorded the same prominence that other holidays were given, as Chanukah is humiliating for us. It was a clash between the Jews themselves. It wasn't a typical “them vs. us”; it was an “us vs. us”. Therefore, giving it the same prominence as Purim, where it was an outsider attempting to wipe out the Jews, would be improper. It was more fitting to keep this disgraceful incident of infighting out of the Mishnah and Gemara.

The Eidus Biyehosef ofers a historical approach to this question. He writes that the reason why Chanukah was so deemphasized in the Mishnah was because the Tana’im felt it was dangerous to compose a masechta celebrating the successful Jewish revolt against an oppressing nation, since if a ruling nation were to find out about this masechta, they might assume that the Jews wanted to revolt, which could lead to horrific consequences. Furthermore, it could be that the tana’im were concerned that this masechta would inspire a Jewish uprising, which could lead to catastrophic events in the vein of the massacre in Beitar following the Bar Kochba revolt. The Eidus Biyehosef also suggests that the halachos of Chanukah were already written in Megillas Taanis, and as a result, Rabi Yehudah Hanasi was not concerned with writing them down as he was with other, oral laws.

The Sefer Ha’eshel suggests that the reason why Chanukah is seldom mentioned in the Mishnah and Gemara is because the laws of Chanukah were so well known that it would have been superfluous to discuss them. He brings a proof from the Rambam (Peirush Hamishnayos Menachos 4:1) which explains that the mishnah spends relatively little time discussing the laws of tzitzis, tefillin, and mezuzah because their laws are very well known, and “knowledge of their laws is hidden from no one”. Therefore, Rabeinu Yehudah Hanasi did not discuss them extensively. The Sefer Ha’eshel thus suggests that the same reasoning could have been behind the lack of discussion regarding Chanukah.

Lastly, some suggest that Chanukah, in fact, is not focused on in the written text as a celebration of the Oral Law, the Torah She’baal Peh. The holiday memorializes the triumph over the Greeks and Misyavnim who specifically aimed to destroy the Oral Law. In order to demonstrate their hatred 7 for the notion of the Living Torah, the Greeks forced the Jews to write on oxs’ horns “we have no portion in the Torah of Israel.” Rebbe’s exclusion of Chanukah from the Mishnah is not due to a deficiency; rather, Chanukah is seldom mentioned in the Mishnah because it is a celebration of the triumph of the Oral Law. Therefore, its story and halachos are kept out of the written Torah Sheba’al Peh, and are instead kept in the truest form of oral Torah.

8 WHAT ARE WE REALLY CELEBRATING ON CHANUKAH?

The story of Chanukah has two main miracles that occurred: the last jar of oil lasting eight days, and the victory of the few Chashmonaim against the mighty Greek army. Although many are familiar with both miracles, many are EMANUEL unaware of what we truly celebrate on Chanukah. IZRAILOV To answer this question, we must analyze the sources for Chanukah and YUHSB ‘22 why we celebrate it. Our first source is the famous Gemara in Maseches Shabbos (21b), which states: Emanuel Izrailov is a Junior at MTA. He lives “When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary, they contaminated all of its oil. in Queens, New York, When the royal Hasmonean family overpowered and was victorious over and is currently a talmid in Rabbi Gopin's Shiur. them, they searched and found only a single cruse of pure oil that was sealed with the seal of the Kohen Gadol (High Priest), enough to light the Menorah for a single day. A miracle occurred, and they lit the Menorah with this oil for eight days. The following year, they established these [eight days] as days of festivity and praise and thanksgiving to God.”

Looking at the source above, it is odd to see that the victory against the mighty Greek army is not mentioned. Contrasting this source with the prayer of Al Hanissim, we see the opposite:

“In the days of Matisyahu... the Hasmonean and his sons, when the wicked Hellenic government rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget your Torah and to make them violate the decrees of Your will, You, in Your abounding mercies, stood by them in the time of their distress.... You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few... the wicked into the hands of the righteous... and you efected a great deliverance and redemption for Your people Israel.... Then Your children entered the house of Your dwelling, cleansed Your Temple, purified Your sanctuary, kindled lights in Your holy courtyards, and instituted these eight days of Chanukah to give thanks and praise to Your great name.”

As shown above, Al Hanissim focuses on the victory of the Chashmonayim, and not on the oil. Although Al Hanissim does speak of “lights kindled in Your holy courtyards,” this is most likely a reference to the many lights being lit for the festivities in the temple (which explains why courtyards are in plural).

These two sources seem to contradict each other, but in reality, they are showing each miracle in a separate lens to emphasize it. This explains why in Al Hanissim, we focus only on the military miracles, for us to fully appreciate it. Otherwise, it would be seen as insignificant compared to the miracle of oil. The reason the Talmud chose to only focus on the miracle of oil, however, is because it wanted to highlight that the main essence of Chanukah is spiritual. That is why the military aspect of Chanukah isn’t mentioned; it does not exemplify the true essence of Chanukah, which represents a spiritual battle, not a physical one. 9 MAOZ TZUR: WHAT IS THAT?

If you walk into any Jewish house after hadlakas neiros Chanukah, there is a familiar song that you will likely hear. This song has been part of Jewish MEIR MORELL culture for about 800 years, and it even has become known to the non-Jewish world. It is sung with a joyous tune, varying slightly depending YUHSB '22 on the household, but all with the same basic structure.

Meir Morell is a Junior This song I’m referencing is the famed Maoz Tzur. For some reason, I have at MTA. He lives in never fully understood it, and although I understand it references diferent Monsey, New York, and is currently a talmid in Jewish struggles and perseverance, I have never fully grasped each of the Rabbi Mendelson's Shiur. stories, or why we sing it after lighting our Chanukah candles. And, if I am In addition, Meir serves as Executive Editor for going to praise God for his saving of our people, I should probably Shema Koleinu. understand what I’m saying! I decided to research the meaning and background of this song, to help us better understand what we are saying and why. In this article, we will go through the zemer stanza by stanza, giving background and explaining each one.

Section I - The Name And Its History

Firstly, it would probably be helpful understanding the name of the song and it’s historical background.

The name “Maoz Tzur”, or “my Refuge, my Rock (of salvation)” is a reference to the Chashmonai stronghold of Beis Tzur, where the Chashmonaim (or Maccabees) had been victorious.

Maoz Tzur is thought to have been written in the 13th century, during the Crusades. The first letters of the first five stanzas form an acrostic of the He may have .(מרדכי composer's name, Mordechai (the five Hebrew letters been the Mordechai ben Yitzchak Halevi, who wrote the zemer "Mah Yafis”, or even the scholar referred to in the Tosafos to Niddah 36a. Or, to judge from the appeal in the closing verse, he may have been the Mordechai whose father-in-law was martyred at Mayence (now Mainz, Germany) in 1096.

A second acrostic is found in the first letters of the opening words of the final stanza, containing the word “chazak”, meaning “be strong”.

Section II - The First Stanza

מעוז צור ישועתי, לך נאה לשבח My Refuge, my Rock of Salvation! It is pleasant to sing your praises. תכון בית תפלתי, ושם תודה נזבח. ,Let our house of prayer be restored and there we will ofer You our thanks. לעת תכין מטבח מצר המנבח. When You will have slaughtered the barking foe, 10 אז אגמור בשיר מזמור חנכת המזבח. Then we will celebrate with song and psalm at the altar's dedication. The first stanza expresses hope for the rebuilding of the Temple, and for the defeat of enemies, who are metaphorically referred to as barking.

Section III - The Second Stanza

רעות שבעה נפשי, ביגון כחי כלה My soul was being satisfied with misery, my strength was spent with grief.

חיי מררו בקשי, בשעבוד מלכות עגלה They embittered my life with hardship, when enslaved under the rule of the calf-like kingdom (Egypt).

ובידו הגדולה הוציא את הסגלה But God with his mighty power brought out His treasured people;

חיל פרעה וכל זרעו ירדו כאבן במצולה. While Pharaoh's army and followers sank like a stone into the deep.

The second stanza brings us on our first stop in the story of Jewish exile, Egypt. We highlight our struggle of slavery, and then our freedom brought about by God.

Section IV - The Third Stanza

דביר קדשו הביאני, וגם שם לא שקטתי He brought me to His holy abode; even there, I found no rest.

ובא נוגש והגלני, כי זרים עבדתי The oppressor came and exiled me, because I served strange gods,

ויין רעל מסכתי, כמעט שעברתי and drank poisonous wine. Yet scarcely had I gone into exile,

קץ בבל זרבבל, לקץ שבעים נושעתי. ;When Babylon fell and Zerubbavel took charge Within seventy years I was saved.

The third stanza takes us on our second stop in the story of Jewish exile, Bavel. We highlight that we were comfortable in Eretz Yisroel after being redeemed in Egypt, but our sins caused Hashem to kick us out. Even so, after seventy years, we were brought back to our land.

Section V- The Fourth Stanza

כרות קומת ברוש, בקש אגגי בן המדתא The Agagite (Haman), son of Hammedasa, plotted to cut down the lofty fir [Mordechai];

ונהיתה לו לפח ולמוקש, וגאותו נשבתה But it proved a snare to him, and his insolence was silenced.

ראש ימיני נשאת, ואויב שמו מחית ,[You raised the head of the Benjamite [Mordechai but the enemy's name You blotted out.

רב בניו וקניניו על העץ תלית His numerous sons and his household you hanged upon the gallows. 11 The fourth stanza takes us on our third stop in the story of Jewish exile, Persia. We highlight the persecution of Haman, and the salvation from God brought about through the Purim story.

Section VI - The Fifth Stanza

יונים נקבצו עלי, אזי בימי חשמנים The Hellinistic Greeks gathered against me, in the days of the Chashmonayim.

ופרצו חומות מגדלי, וטמאו כל השמנים They broke down the walls of my towers, and defiled all the oils.

ומנותר קנקנים נעשה נס לשושנים But from the last remaining flask a miracle was wrought for the Jews.

בני בינה ימי שמונה קבעו שיר ורננים Therefore the Sages (literally “men of insight”) of the day ordained these eight for songs of praise.

The fifth stanza takes us on our third stop in the story of Jewish exile, the Land of Israel under Seleucid control. We highlight the persecution of the Hellinistic Greeks when they defiled the temple and the Jewish people. It then discusses the “Chanukah Miracle” of finding the oil, and the establishment of the holiday.

Section VII - The Final Stanza

חשוף זרוע קדשך וקרב קץ הישועה .O bare Your holy arm and bring the end of salvation

נקם נקמת עבדיך מאמה הרשעה Wreak vengeance upon the wicked nation, on behalf of your faithful servants.

כי ארכה השעה ואין קץ לימי הרעה For deliverance has too long been delayed; and the evil days are endless.

דחה אדמון בצל צלמון הקם O Reject the enemy into the shadows of idolatry לנו רועים שבעה idolatry refers to christianity, which had been the) oppressive force at the time), and set up for us the seven shepherds (who will bring us from exile). The final stanza once again calls for divine retribution against the enemies of the Jewish people. It voices our plea to God to bring us to a final permanent redemption. We should be zoche to a geulah sheleimah bimheirah!

12 THE MESSAGE OF THE OIL

The Maharal writes that oil represents sanctity, for when a Jewish king or Kohen Gadol was appointed, his head was anointed with oil. This gesture symbolically imbued them with holiness which would guide them in their AKIVA KRA new position. It was this oil - the symbol of perpetual and continuous sanctity - that the Greeks wanted to discontinue. The Bach (Orach Chayim YUHSB '21 670) explains that the Yevanim wanted to stop the neiros tamid, the consistent lights of the Menorah and the Korban Tamid. Akiva Kra is a Senior at MTA. He lives in Teaneck, The Maharal continues to analyze the events of Chanukah further, and New Jersey, and is currently a talmid in Rabbi notes the significance of the three particular precepts that the Greeks Cohen's Beis Medrash sought to obliterate from the Jews: Kiddush Hachodesh, Bris Millah, and Katan Shiur. Akiva also writes a weekly column for the observance of Shabbos. These mitzvos, he explains, are representative Shema Koleinu, titled "A of the three types of holiness which can exist in the world: time Short Vort", with a brief thought on the Parsha. (consecrating the new month), the body (circumcision), and property (resting from labor on Shabbos).

The Greeks knew that in order “to cause the Jews to forget and forsake the Torah” (to quote Al Hanissim), they would not be successful if they took a head-on approach and explicitly told the Jews not to keep the Torah. Therefore, they allowed the Jews to continue with their attachment to the Torah, but they attempted to persuade them to supplement the Torah with other forms of wisdom that would defile the purity of the Jewish soul. They introduced gymnasiums, where the cult of physical perfection and materialistic indulgence was the sole practice to indirectly repress the sanctity of time, body, and home of the Jew. They did not spill out the oil found in the Temple; they only made sure it became defiled. They sought to dim the flames of the Menorah by contaminating it, for it would then certainly become extinguished eventually.

Rabbi Shmuel Pinchasi writes, in his sefer Imrei Shefer, an answer to the following question that fits in well with the above idea: Why did Hashem make a miracle and provide pure oil that burned for eight days, if the halachah is that the lighting of impure oil is allowed in the Menorah when no other oil is available? He answers that the miracle symbolized the principle that the purity of the Torah must remain uncontaminated at all costs.

Uncontaminated Torah isn’t a phenomenon that was mentioned out of nowhere during the Chanukah story; rather, it is something that was stated as an essential ideal many years earlier. The navi Yirmiyahu (13:15) compares Bnei Yisroel to an olive tree: "A verdant olive tree, with beautiful fruit - so has Hashem called your name." What is the significance of this metaphor? One answer is that other juices blend in with each other or with water, but oil cannot be mixed with other liquids; it always floats to the top. So too, Bnei Yisroel does not blend in with the other nations that surround

13 it; they always retain their uniqueness and remain as a distinct entity. Before we do any mitzvah, we thank Hashem for having "sanctified us with His commandments." It is not enough to fulfill the mitzvos, but rather, we must realize that the mitzvos are the medium through which we become purified and sanctified.

The importance of not integrating Torah with secular culture was also explicitly written in the Rambam's Mishneh Torah (Hilchos Deiyos 6:1). Rambam writes “It is natural for a man's character and actions to be influenced by his friends and associates and for him to follow the local norms of behavior. Therefore, he should associate with the righteous and be constantly in the company of the wise, so as to learn from their deeds. Conversely, he should keep away from the wicked who walk in darkness, so as not to learn from their deeds.”

Chanukah is a time when we celebrate that we didn’t mix with “other liquids”, and that we were able to preserve our faith. This is one of the reasons we gather to commemorate this miracle as opposed to others from our history: we were never threatened with assimilation in such a way as we were by the story of Chanukah. As we use oil to light the candles of Chanukah each night, may we all be able to remember what we were threatened with, the lessons we learned, and that our values can’t be compromised.

14 אין בין חנוכה לפורים אלא...

We know that there are fundamental similarities between the holidays of Purim and Chanukah, most significantly that they are the only two holidays which were established after Matan Torah. The two holidays are compared ELISHA PRICE by the Rambam (Hilchos Megillah ViChanukah 3:3), who writes “And these days are called Chanukah, and eulogies and fasting are forbidden on them YUHSB ‘23 as on the days of Purim. And it is a mitzvah to light candles on these days based on divrei sofrim, as is the reading of the Megillah.” Thus, the Elisha Price is a Sophomore at MTA. Rambam presents an equation between Purim and Chanukah. He lives in Bergenfield, Furthermore, these two holidays are not just similar in origin, but in theme New Jersey, and is currently a talmid in as well, since they are the only two holidays whose central theme and main Rabbi Kerner's Shiur. mitzvah is a fulfilment of persumei nissah, spreading awareness of a miracle. On Chanukah, we light candles, and on Purim, we read the Megillah, both of which are meant to publicize the neis of that particular yom tov.

But if Chanukah and Purim are so similar, why are there so many diferences between them?

Our first major diference is that we say Hallel on Chanukah, but not on Purim (the Chasam Sofer paskens that Hallel on Purim is not a requirement). This seems illogical, as both holidays have similar themes of praise and thanksgiving towards God.

Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot, writing on the VMB, furthers the question by asking why it is that by Purim, the Gemara (Megillah 14a) teaches that “the forty-eight male prophets and seven female prophets who prophesied for Israel did not diminish from nor add to what is written in the Torah except for [their institution of] the reading of the Megillah.” Rabbi Helfgot wonders why the Gemara doesn’t even seem to consider the possibility that Chanukah was also added as a new holiday. Why is only Purim considered here?

Another diference between the two holidays is with regard to a woman’s obligation. Women are obligated to listen to the reading of the Megillah (Megillah 4a). However, Tosfos and the Bahag both reject the idea that a woman can be yotzei a man in his requirement to read the Megillah. But by Menorah, the Be’er Heitev (665:3) rules that a woman can be yotzei a man.

Yet another diference can be found by an onein (a pre-burial mourner who is forbidden to eat meat or drink wine). Rabbi Helfgot brings down the Orchos Chayim in the Tur, which paskens that the halachos of aninus overrides Chanukah, but not Purim.

In sum, we are left with several stringencies that only apply to Purim, but not Chanukah, and it is puzzling that these two yamim tovim which are so similar

15 in origin would have such distinct halachic diferences.

Our question, however, is too large to answer in one stroke. So, we need to break it down into two: Hallel, and the various chumros which we listed. The Gemara in Megillah explains that Purim has no Hallel because of any of three reasons:

1. The miracle occurred outside of Eretz Yisroel. 2. The Megillah takes the place of Hallel. 3. We don’t say Hallel because on Purim we weren’t fully liberated; we were still under the rule of Persia.

In other words, the Gemara was sensitive to our question (why there is no Hallel on Purim) and presents three possible approaches. But what about the other issues? Interestingly, this Gemara would seem to suggest that Purim is more lenient (not more stringent!), in spite of the stringencies that we know only apply on Purim! Therefore, while this Gemara addresses Hallel, it adds to the strength of our question about the other issues!

Rabbi Helfgot explains that Purim and Chanukah are not on the same level. He brings down the source for the mitzvah of Megillah, the Gemara (Megillah 14a) which learns from a kal vichomer that since we praise God for taking us out of slavery (Hallel on Pesach), so too we praise Him for saving our actual lives (Megillah, the substitute for Hallel, on Purim).

Therefore, Rabbi Helfgot explains that the mitzvos of Purim (but not the holiday itself) may actually be Biblical (or derived from such), putting them at a de’oraysa level! Therefore, we understand why Purim is more stringent than Chanukah.

While that is a beautiful vort for Purim, where does this leave Chanukah? What emerges from this analysis is that since Purim is no longer a derabanan, Chanukah becomes the ultimate expression of Rabbinical thanks to Hashem. Chanukah is the only yom tov where we receive no instruction from God regarding its fulfillment; it is just us pouring our thanks to Hashem, without any guiding commandments.

And that is the unique significance of Chanukah. It is our dedication to our Rabbis and our wanting to thank Hashem even if the Torah doesn’t give us exact instructions as to how. Let’s use this year’s Chanukah to express and internalize these important messages and values!

16 CHANUKAH: FROM AHARON TO THE CHASHMONAYIM

At the end of Parshas Naso (Bamidbar 7: 1-89), the Torah records the events of the chanukas hamizbeach, the dedication of the Beis Hamikdash, and lists the korbanos of the nesii’m. From this, the Torah immediately SAMUEL shifts its focus to the lighting of the Menorah at the beginning of Parshas GORMAN Beha’alosecha (Bamidbar 8: 1-4). This juxtaposition causes one to question what exactly is tying these two topics together. YUHSB '21

The Chizkuni (Bamidbar 8: 2, d”h: daber el Aharon), as well as Rashi

(Bamidbar 8:2, d”h: behaalosecha), answer this question, and explain the Samuel Gorman is a reason for the juxtaposition of these two topics in the Torah. According to Senior at MTA. He lives in Bergenfield, New Jersey, Rashi and the Chizkuni, after the chanukas hamizbeach, Aharon was upset. and is currently a talmid in All of the nesi’im had brought oferings in honor of the event, but he had not Rabbi Cohen's Beis been given the opportunity. For this reason, explain the Chizkuni and Rashi, Medrash Katan Shiur. the topic of Menorah is juxtaposed with the chanukas hamizbeach. God, in response to Aharon’s disappointment at not having played a role in the chanukas hamizbeach, now reassures Aharon that he and his descendants would have the important job of lighting the Menorah.

The Ramban (Bamidbar 8:2, d”h: behaalosecha) elaborates on this connection. Questioning the explanation given by Rashi and the Chizkuni above, Ramban wonders why it is that God chose to use the lighting of the Menorah to console Aharon. Why not mention some other special service of the kohen gadol, such as the bringing of the ketores or the Yom Kippur avodah? Why does God specifically choose to mention Menorah in order to console Aharon? Additionally, questions the Ramban, what reason did Aharon have to feel left-out? After all, Aharon brought plenty of mandatory korbanos, so he shouldn’t have felt left-out in that regard, and he couldn’t have been upset that he didn’t have the opportunity to bring optional korbanos, as in that case, the mitzvah of Menorah would not have consoled him, as it is not an optional avodah!

In response to these questions, the Ramban gives a most fascinating explanation of the connection between Menorah and the chanukas hamizbeach. The Ramban explains that God is not trying to console Aharon through the mitzvah of Menorah; rather, He is hinting at future events that would make Aharon feel better. The Ramban writes that “the point of this is to hint at the rededication of the candles that happened in the second temple, by means of Aharon’s descendants” (ibid.). In other words, the Ramban says that the reason for the juxtaposition of Menorah to chanukas hamizbeach is that God made Aharon feel better about him not having played a major role in the first chanukas hamizbeach by reassuring him that his descendants, the Chashmonayim, would play a major role in the rededication years later by the miracle of the Menorah on Chanukah.

17 אמר לחכמה אחתי את

Rav Chaim Soloveitchik is widely considered the father of modern lomdishe learning, and much of our iyun in Gemara and Rishonim comes from his RABBI unique style of analysis. Rav Chaim used to say that, when learning a sugya, BARUCH we must realize that the Rishonim already said all the chiddushim (novel ideas) - our job is simply to work hard to understand what it was that they PESACH were trying to communicate. Learning Gemara in depth is not about testing MENDELSON the limits of our own logical capabilities, and then discovering which

Rishonim agree with us. Rather, we work to explain the Rishonim and ensure MAGGID SHIUR that their words “fit in” to the shalka vitarya, the give-and-take, of the sugya as a whole. This is why, despite the tremendous creativity of Rav Chaim and

Rabbi Mendelson joined his son, the Brisker Rov, every piece in their seforim begins with a question the YUHSB faculty in 1996, on the pshat (basic understanding) of the sugya. Lomdus is only a tool and has since served as a rebbe for both the 10th which is used to help us answer these questions, and thereby understand and 11th Grade Honors the wisdom of Chazal. Rav Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik zt”l, the Rav, was very Shiurim and the AP Psychology instructor. He opposed to those who attempted to superimpose non-Torah systems of also serves as the Faculty logical analysis in learning Gemara. Learning is not about showing our own Advisor for Shema Koleinu. creativity, but about working to resolve the words of the chachomim of Rabbi Mendelson received previous generations. semicha from RIETS and holds a Master’s degree in The same rule applies when we learn other matters, such as Tanach. When Psychology from CUNY. Rabbi Mendelson was we approach a story or nevuah, we do not come with our own ideas about awarded the Caroline and what is socially, politically, or morally correct, and use the pesukim to Joseph S.Gruss Life Monument Funds, Inc. and support those ideas. Rather, we listen to how Chazal and meforshim like the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Rashi, the Radak, and the Malbim understood the pesukim, and approach Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education from the the topic from that perspective. Rav Yaakov Moshe Lessin zt”l, a former Board of Jewish Education mashgiach in our Yeshiva for over 30 years, described drush as “twisting the of Greater New York. Rabbi Mendelson serves as the words of Chazal to match my hashkafos, instead of plumbing the depths of Morah Diasra of Kehilla Chazal .” This is not the proper way to approach any sort of limmud Torah. Marine Park. Chanukah is a holiday which celebrates the triumph of the Torah over the corrupt ideologies of Hellenism. Western culture proved unable to dominate Bnei Yisroel, and true hashkofas haTorah emerged unscathed. This presents a real problem to our community: how does one who holds himself to be a practitioner of Torah Umadda understand this yom tov? How do those of us who believe that chochmas Hashem is revealed in the study of Physics, Biology, Literature, and Psychology, purport to celebrate this triumph?

My Rebbi, Rav Aharon Soloveitchik zt”l, explained this with the possuk in Mishlei (7:4) which says “emor lichochmah ‘achosi at’” - say to wisdom ‘you are my sister’. My Rebbi explained: I can be very close with my sister, we can know each other well, and we can share alot. But, the possuk does not say “amar lichochmah ishti at” - say to wisdom ‘you are my wife”! The relationship of husband and wife is defined by ishto kigufo, where the two 18 become like one person. This kind of relationship cannot exist with chochmah; we may treat wisdom like a sister, but never as a wife. The possuk in Bereishis states that man should “cleave to his wife, and they shall be as one flesh.” Rashi explains that this is fulfilled when a man and wife have a baby, who is a combination of the two parents. Such a thing cannot exist with chochmah. There cannot be a hybrid which mixes everything into one being. When Rivkah Imeinu saw that there was kicking inside of her stomach when she passed a beis medrash and when she passed a house of idol worship, she became concerned. Hashem calmed her by telling her that she had two sons inside of her, who would become two great nations. This calmed Rivkah, because she realized that the kicking was coming from two separate children. To have one child who wanted to leave to the beis medrash and the beis avodah zarah would be oxymoronic and untenable. Only once she learned that these were two separate children did she calm down.

If this is the case, then what exactly should our relationship with chochmah be? My Rebbi explained based on another possuk (Bereishis 9:27): “God shall be with Yafes, and Yafes shall reside in the tents of Shem”. Yafes was the ancestor of all Western civilizations, including the Greeks, and Shem was the ancestor of Bnei Yisroel. Yafes can be very valuable, and he can reside within Shem’s tent, but the tent must remain primarily Shem’s! The madda must be filtered through the lens of Torah before it can be utilized. If it is to dwell in Shem’s tent comfortably, it must first conform to Shem’s “house rules” so to speak, of proper hashkofas haTorah.

Torah Umadda is when we use chochmah in such a way that it can complement the Torah, but not to supplement or replace the Torah with secular wisdom, chas vishalom. Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm zt”l always said “our interaction with the modern world does not permit us to be any less scrupulous in upholding and maintaining the minutiae of halachah.” Torah Umadda does not preclude being careful about our approach to things such as Shabbos, kashrus, tzniyus, tefillah bitzibbur, tzitzis, lashon hara, keviyas itim laTorah, and proper hashkafos (outlook)!

But, we still must ask ourselves: why do we see such compromise so often? Why is it that we commonly see people sacrificing on basic matters of halachah and hashkafa in favor of a more “enlightened” approach to Yiddishkeit?

Lefi aniyas da’ati, it all begins with the style of learning. When we learn, do we make sure to nullify our preconceptions in favor of what the Rishonim tell us, or do we attempt to fit our own svaros and ideas into the text? If we do not approach Judaism from a place of humility, with a willingness to remove ourselves from the equation and focus on understanding the words of Chazal, then we will inevitably come to create the sort of hybrid of Torah and chochmah which cannot exist for long.

This is the major diference between a yeshivah and a secular college. In a yeshivah, the roshei yeshivah decide the curriculum and schedule for the entire institution. Everyone in the yeshivah comes to the beis medrash at the same time, to learn the same things, under the guidance of gedolei yisroel. In a college, however, everyone decides when and what they want to learn: I can take chemistry, english, public speaking, and music, at any time and in any order that I choose! If a person is in yeshivah, they can go to secular college, with their fundamental outlook and perspective being shaped by the yeshivah. But if they are primarily in college, then their outlook, and their lifestyle, is left up to their own discretion. Inevitably, they will end up as a Jewish American, an American through and through, who happens to also be Jewish. His Judaism will not stand up to any innovations which occur to him. But a ben yeshivah, even one who appreciates secular knowledge, is fundamentally an American Jew, the Jew of Torah Umadda, who appreciates wisdom and knowledge through the lens and guidance of hashkofas haTorah.

If one approaches Judaism with gaivah, determined to stick to his own inclinations, then he will inevitably be led astray in both learning and hashkafas hachayim. Only someone who is prepared to submit himself to the timeless and immutable wisdom of Torah will be able to truly have the 19 Torah shape him, rather than the other way around.

On Chanukah, we celebrate the triumph of the Chashmonayim over the corruptions of Greek culture. The Greeks attempted to replace Torah with secular learning, or at the very least, to equate the two. Our triumph over the Yevanim was not necessarily in completely rejecting their innovations; rather, Bnei Yisroel showed that the only interactions we can have with the rest of the world are ones which occur from the perspective of Toras emes. May we all merit to act with yiraso kodem lichachmaso, where our yiras shamayim precedes our own intellect, in every part of our lives.

20 KEEP GOING UP

The Gemara in Shabbos (21b), when discussing the halachos of Chanukah, brings a machlokes between Beis Hillel and Beis Shammai regarding whether the number of candles lit on Chanukah progressively increases or YAAKOV decreases over the eight days. Beis Hillel holds that they increase from one WEINSTOCK candle to eight candles, while Beis Shammai argues and holds that on the first night, eight candles are lit, and it decreases every night by one candle. YUHSB '22 The Gemara gives us insight into their reasoning behind their opinions. Beis

Hillel’s reasoning for increasing is because of the concept of ma’alin Yaakov Weinstock is a bikodesh vi’ain moridin - we go up in holiness, and we don’t go down. In Junior at MTA. He lives in order to understand Beis Hillel’s reasoning, we need to ask a few questions. Hollywood, Florida, and is currently a talmid in Rabbi Mendelson's Shiur. This concept that Beis Hillel utilizes is used in another place. The Rambam in Hilchos Klei Kodesh rules that a kohen who is given a higher position, such as Kohen Gadol, cannot subsequently become an ordinary kohen later, because of the irule of ma’alin bikodesh vi’ain moridin. In fact, this is the primary utilization of this concept. This halacha is found in a Gemara in Megillah (21b), as well as in a Gemara in Yoma (72b). Therefore, it is clear that this is the common application of this concept. Beis Hillel wants to apply this to Chanukah. However, what is motivating Beis Hillel to explain this halacha by Chanukah with a concept that, at face value, seems to have no connection to Chanukah?

In order to answer this, we need to ask another question. Why do we say ma’alin bikodesh vi’ain moridin? I believe the answer is that observing this doctrine of only going up in kedushah is supposed to set a mentality within all of us. We must always be striving higher and higher in areas of kedushah. Therefore, allowing someone to move from a higher position to a lower position in matters of kedushah would be antithetical to a Jewish mindset, which is supposed to only progress in matters of holiness. That’s the ideal method of growth, and therefore, we practice it in any way possible.

Understanding this idea behind ma’alin bikodesh vi’ain moridin, we can now understand why Beis Hillel was compelled to apply this concept by Chanukah. Chanukah, beneath the surface, is about striving for the high level of kedushah possible. Under the Yevanim, the Jews were in a spiritually low state. The Mishnah Berurah explains that the diference between Purim and Chanukah is that Chanukah was solely a spiritual persecution, in contrast to the physical threats on Purim. The Greek’s goal wasn’t to destroy the Jews physically, but to destroy Judaism. This persecution made people leave Judaism and join the Greeks and their ideology. However, when Matisyahu and his sons rose up and won, they inaugurated the Beis Hamikdash again, and lit the Menorah. The Ramban in Parshas Behaaloscha explains that Hashem comforted Aharon, who was upset at not being involved in the korbanos at the Mishkan’s dedication, by 21 telling him that his descendants would light the Menorah at the time of Chanukah. Aharon’s upsetness with not ofering the korbanos at the chanukas hamishkan was due to his constant drive to achieve greater heights in kedushah; since he was unable to ofer a korban himself, he felt as if he was being brought down. Therefore, Hashem promised him that his children would epitomize this trait of always aspiring for kedushah at the time of Chanukah, when they would light the Menorah as a rejection of Greek principles and as an attempt to create a culture of continued progress towards the goal of more holiness. Thus, it is clear that Beis Hillel wanted to commemorate, through the main mitzvah of the holiday, not only the neis of the oil, but also what that lighting represented. As we increase the number of candles we light over this Chanukah, we should make sure to keep this message alive, and remind ourselves that we must continue to aspire and progress in our relationship with Hashem.

22 START THE FIRE

One of the fundamental halachos in Hilchos Chanukah is the principle of hadlakah oseh mitzvah (lit. “lighting makes the mitzvah”). This means that the main requirement of lighting Chanukah candles is fulfilled from the SHIMI moment the candles are lit in a kosher manner, even if they are KAUFMAN subsequently moved to a place which would not be fit for the mitzvah. For example, a candle placed above twenty amos is invalid for the mitzvah of YUHSB '21. Chanukah candles; however, if one lit a candle below twenty amos, and EDITORINCHIEF, then moved it above twenty amos, the mitzvah would still be fulfilled, based SHEMA KOLEINU on this principle of hadlakah oseh mitzvah. Since the initial lighting of the candles was done properly, any subsequent movement does not invalidate Shimi Kaufman is a Senior at MTA. He lives in Monsey, the mitzvah. We follow this opinion in the Gemara in contrast to that of New York, and is currently hanachah oseh mitzvah (lit. “placing makes the mitzvah”), which maintains a talmid in Rabbi Eli Baruch Shulman's Shiur in Yeshiva that even if the candles were lit in an improper place, as long as they burn University. Shimi also for the minimum time of 30 minutes in a valid location, the mitzvah is serves as Editor-In-Chief for Shema Koleinu. fulfilled.

The Minchas Chinuch (Mitzvah 97) asks a question on this notion of hadlakah oseh mitzvah based on a puzzling statement of the Rambam in Hilchos Biyas Hamikdash (9:7). The original Menorah, lit daily in the Beis Hamikdash, was placed inside of the Heichal, against the southern wall. The Rambam writes that technically, a non-kohen is permitted to light the Menorah; however, since a non-kohen is forbidden to enter the Heichal, the Menorah must first be prepared and cleaned inside the Heichal, and then brought out to the Chatzer (courtyard). The non-kohen can then light the Menorah in the Chatzer, at which point it is brought back inside to its proper location in the Heichal. In this halachah, the Minchas Chinuch sees a contradiction: if one lit the candles on Chanukah in this manner, lighting them in an invalid place and then bringing them to a kosher place afterwards, the candles would not fulfil the mitzvah, based on the principle of hadlakah oseh mitzvah! If the Chanukah candles were established to commemorate the original Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash, why would Chazal not formulate the mitzvah with the same principles as those used by the Menorah?

Rav Chaim Soloveitchik, in his commentary on the Rambam (ibid.), clarifies that the mitzvah of lighting the Menorah was not the actual lighting of the flame; rather, the requirement was that the Menorah should burn in its proper place. Thus, it was irrelevant where the actual candles were lit, since as long as they would be moved to burn in the correct place, the mitzvah was fulfilled. This would seem to further our question - the mitzvah of the Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash was fundamentally that the candles should be allowed to burn in their proper place, while the mitzvah on Chanukah is that the candles should be lit in their proper place. In other words, the Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash seems to operate on the aforementioned 23 principle of hanachah oseh mitzvah, which we reject when it comes to Chanukah! What is the reason for this discrepancy?

Rav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg (Mishmeres Chayim Chelek I, “Chanukah” 2) explains that on Chanukah, we are not merely commemorating the existence of the Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash. Rather, we light the candles to recall the specific miracle of Chanukah, that the Menorah burned for eight days with only enough oil to last for one (or perhaps even less than that). Thus, what we are remembering with the lighting of the candles on Chanukah is not how the Menorah was lit, but rather, the specific action of lighting which brought about this miracle. It therefore makes sense why the mitzvah was established diferently from the mitzvah of the Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash, since what we recall on Chanukah is not the general mitzvah of the Menorah, but the lighting which resulted in the miracle of the oil.

However, this explanation would seem to still be problematic. While it is true that what we remember on Chanukah is the specific miracle of the Menorah, the miracle itself was also not about the action of lighting. Rather, the neis was that the Menorah continued to burn for eight days straight after it was lit. It would therefore seem to be logical for the mitzvah to be established in a way which reflects this; namely, that the candles must burn properly for a set amount of time, to remember the candles in the Beis Hamikdash which continued to burn. If the miracle was unrelated to the action of lighting, why was the principle of hadlakah oseh mitzvah established at all; the candles on Chanukah should reflect the neis which they commemorate, by remaining lit properly for a set amount of time, just as the candles burned longer than expected. Seemingly, the best way to recall the miracle would be through the rule of hanachah oseh mitzvah, by requiring that the candles remain burning properly for a set period of time.

This question is made even more puzzling when one considers that the Chashmonayim themselves were not kohanim, and that the Heichal was still tamei from the Greek defilement of the Beis Hamikdash. Based on these two factors, the Chasam Sofer (Drashos on Chanukah Vol. I page 67) suggests that the Chashmonayim lit the Menorah outside of its proper location, in accordance with this halachah in the Rambam. We therefore see that even the lighting which brought about the miracle utilized the principle of hanachah oseh mitzvah. What motivation was there to establish the mitzvah of Chanukah to reflect the action of lighting the Menorah instead?

Perhaps we can suggest an answer which is commonly used to answer the famous kashya of the Beis Yosef on Chanukah. Why, asks the Beis Yosef, do we celebrate Chanukah for eight nights; if there was enough oil to last for one night, then the neis only occurred on the seven extra nights when the oil burned through miraculous means? There are many, many answers to this question (enough to fill entire seforim!), but one answer which is given is that the neis was that the Chashmonayim even bothered to light the Menorah with the amount of oil that they had. Given that there was not enough oil to last eight days, the Chashmonayim could have easily not bothered to light at all. Thus, we light an extra candle to commemorate the bitachon which Bnei Yisroel demonstrated in Hashem, to try and fulfil the mitzvah despite the seemingly hopeless nature of the situation. Maybe we can use this answer to address our question. By formulating the mitzvah of Chanukah candles such that the main function is the actual lighting of the candle, we commemorate the bitachon of the Maccabim in taking action to light the Menorah despite not having enough oil. We are not only commemorating the miraculous burning of the candles, but the courage and faith which it took to light a Menorah which had no natural way of lasting longer than one night. While it is true that the main mitzvah of the Menorah is that it should be allowed to remain burning properly, at the same time, hadlakah oseh mitzvah - what makes the mitzvah, what allows it to come about, is that first action of lighting. Without the action of hadlakah, there would have been no opportunity for a miracle.

24 One of the main themes of Chanukah is “rekindling our flame.” Months after the Yomim Neorayim, the buzz and closeness to Hashem which we feel during the months of Elul and Tishrei has begun to fade. Chanukah is meant to inspire us to relight our excitement and reclaim our closeness to Hashem. In this vein, the Chiddushei HaRim writes that the halachic requirement for how long the candles must burn, ad shetichleh ragil min hashuk (until people stop walking in the marketplace), can also be interpreted homiletically - ad shetichleh ragil min hashuk - until we cease with our ordinary, uninspired service of Hashem. With the idea we have developed, we can take this one step further. While it is true that the Chanukah candles must burn “ad shetichleh ragil min hashuk”, at the end of the day, this is not what qualifies the mitzvah. The guiding principle for Chanukah is that hadlakah oseh mitzvah - we must take it upon ourselves to light our own candle, even in the face of a world of impending darkness. The power of Chanukah is that when we light our flame, even if it seems that we do not have enough fuel to keep it lit, to remain inspired, the candle can keep burning ad ad shetichleh ragil min hashuk. But in order for us to seize onto this unique opportunity, we must ourselves take the first step and resolve to grow closer to Hashem, even if it seems like it may be out of our reach. Thus, in lighting the Chanukah candles, we remind ourselves that hadlakah oseh mitzvah - if we act like the Chashmonayim and light our flame no matter what, Hashem will see to it that it does not burn out.

25 A GOOD OL’ SLAP IN THE FACE

One of the miracles that is celebrated on Chanukah is the victory of the Chashmonaim against the Greeks. There is a fascinating, not so well-known RAFFI WEIL Midrash that describes the event which caused the war. The Midrash (Otzar HaMidrashim Chanukah, page 189) describes a gezeirah enacted by the YUHSB ‘22 Greeks that required all Jewish women to have relations with a Greek ofcer on their wedding night, before they could be with their husbands. Over time, Raf Weil is a Junior at many Jewish women stopped getting married in order to avoid this MTA. He lives in Teaneck, despicable and humiliating act. Chanah, daughter of Matisyahu the Kohen New Jersey, and is currently a talmid in Rabbi Gadol, was getting married to Elazar, the son of a Chashmonai. Many Jews Mendelson's Shiur. gathered to celebrate the wedding of the children of two Gedolei Yisroel. After the ceremony, while all eyes were on the kallah being carried in on a bridal throne, Chanah did something shocking. She disrobed, exposing her body to all of the guests. Immediately, her brothers, the Maccabees, were horrified. They couldn’t fathom why she would act so immodestly in public at her wedding, and they were ready to “kill” her for the embarrassment she caused to the family. In response to her brother's rage and indignation, Chanah responded to them with a stinging rebuke. Where was their anger when every pure and modest Jewish woman had to submit herself to a Greek ofcer? Where was their indignation when women had to denigrate themselves in a way that was far more embarrassing and ofensive than her uncovered body at her wedding? Rather than turning their anger on her, she admonished them to direct that anger where it truly belonged, at the Greeks. The brothers were taken aback by this response at first, but soon they realized how correct she was. They acknowledged that they had to take action. They devised a plan to demand that Chanah only be given to the highest ranking Greek general, since she was the daughter of someone important. Once he was brought to her, the brothers assassinated him. The Midrash pinpoints this murder as the begining of the war that led to the victory of Chanukah.

There are many lessons to be learned from this story. One message that resonates with me is the idea that the brothers knew there was a problem, yet they did nothing to address it. They sat passively and helplessly as many women were subjected to this horrific decree. Only when Chanah did something shocking and daring, did they heed the call to action. How much sufering could have been avoided if they had only acted sooner? In life, there will always be challenges. It shouldn’t take a blatant or shocking action to come to the realization that a problem that causes distress and sufering needs to be addressed.

I think a very relevant example of this lesson can be seen in how the global community has handled the current pandemic. Every country on the planet knew that Covid was out there, and that it had the potential to be dangerous 26 and deadly. Many countries sat passively and watched, but did nothing to prepare to face the disease when it came to their borders. Only when people got sick, were hospitalized, and many tragically died, were our leaders shocked into facing the reality of this unknown virus. They scrambled to set up enough hospital beds, amass PPE, ventilators, testing capabilities, and enact real restrictions to minimize the spread of infection. In the story of the Midrash, the Jews only took action when damage had already been done, and only when Chanah shocked them into facing the reality of the tragedy. Sadly, the same thing happened in many places the world over; action to fight Covid only happened when countries were shocked into facing the reality of the tragedy. No matter the problem, this Midrash teaches how important it is not to feel powerless, and not to wait until we receive a “slap in the face” to act. We must acknowledge the core issues that our community is facing and find the strength, courage and wisdom to improve the situation.

27 ORDINARY MIRACLES

The Gemara in Maseches Sanhedrin brings a statement from Rav Yochanan. Rav Yochanan says that everyone who makes a blessing on the new moon for AARON the month during the proper time, it is as if they have greeted the Divine SISSER Presence. Rabbeinu Yonah on the Rif at the end of the fourth perek of Maseches Brachos explains Rav Yochanan’s statement. Rabbeinu Yonah YUHSB '23 states that we know we cannot actually see any life-like, physical embodiment of Hashem. However, we are still able to “see” Him in a sense, Aaron Sisser is a by witnessing His miracles, being in awe of the great things he creates, and Sophomore at MTA. He lives in Queens, by trying to comprehend the might of Hashem. New York, and is currently a talmid in There is a possuk in Sefer Yeshayahu that relates a similar concept. The text Rabbi Kerner's Shiur. there says that while Hashem is hidden from us, He is also still the savior of Israel. This possuk comes to teach us an important lesson. Even though we are unable to see Hashem, he is still protecting us throughout our daily lives. This, like the aforementioned berachah that we make on the new moon, teaches us that we should be in awe of the great wonders that Hashem does for us. We should always be thankful for everything that Hashem does for us, and not disregard Hashem because we cannot see Him.

The Alter of Kelm elaborates on this message of Rabbeinu Yonah. He says that things that we see and do everyday, regardless of their importance, will often fade into the background and not feel so meaningful to us. When we see or do the same things again and again, we start to care about them less and less. This relates to what we mentioned earlier. We experience the great benefits of the sun every single day of our lives. The sun does not change, from our point of view. It is constant, and it rises and sets the same way each and every day. The moon, on the other hand, is a diferent story. The moon is constantly changing. On no day does the moon appear to us with the same shape that it had on the previous day. The lunar cycle reminds us of Hashem and his great power. By constantly changing, it is teaching us that despite the regularity of the sun and many other celestial bodies, Hashem is still in control of the events that transpire surrounding every single one. There is no thing in the world, both out of this world and here on Earth, that is not under Hashem’s control. He is the one who gives everything the ability to happen. This berachah that we make on the moon is to remind ourselves that Hashem is in complete control, even over the seemingly regular and mundane factors of life.

The miracle of Chanukah perfectly encapsulates this concept of us being grateful to Hashem for both the supernatural and natural miracles of life. We know that the reason that we light the menorah on Chanukah each year is because the Chashmonayim had enough oil to light the menorah in the Beis Hamikdash for one night, but Hashem made it last for eight nights, to allow Bnei Yisroel enough time to get more oil to continue lighting afterwards. We 28 know that Hashem controls every aspect of our lives, and so we can look closer at the basics of what transpired. While it is shocking to us to see oil burn for eight days, in light of what we have said, we can see that the same Hashem who makes oil burn for one day, just made it burn for eight days! The miracle, at its core, is the same in both situations. However, the Alter of Kelm explains, familiarity and repetitiveness blind us to truly being in complete and utter awe of every one of Hashem’s seemingly “regular” miracles. These phenomena, despite how miraculous they are, occur on a regular basis, and so we feel less emotional impact when they happen. Over time, we forget to recognize that nature is only nature because Hashem made it to be so. The supernatural events just cause us to understand the greatness of Hashem, and from there we also see the greatness of Hashem in our daily lives. Seeing a miracle that is not a regular thing to us, like the new moon or one day’s oil lasting for eight days, reminds us of the countless wonderful things Hashem does in our daily lives that we do not normally perceive as extraordinary or great. By seeing the supernatural miracles we come to appreciate the natural miracles as well.

This notion can also help us to answer the famous question of the Beis Yosef. The Beis Yosef asks why, if the oil found by Bnei Yisroel was already able to burn for one day under normal circumstances, why do we celebrate Chanukah for eight days? Only the last seven days were really supernatural! The first day would have had enough oil for the menorah by natural means! The Alter of Kelm explains that the answer to this question is the same concept that he has been telling us all along. Even though the supernatural miracle of Chanukah was only for the last seven days, where the oil was able to burn when it would not have done so under typical conditions, everyone was reminded by this of the greatness of the natural world. All of Bnei Yisroel recognized that it was Hashem who made a miracle so that the oil would be able to burn, even on the first night. Therefore, just as we make a berachah on the cycle of the new moon when we become aware of the greatness of natural miracles, so too we do the same on the first night of Chanukah. On the first night of Chanukah, we are acknowledging and appreciating the miracles of Hashem that occur in our ordinary lives. On the rest of the nights of Chanukah, we are being grateful for the supernatural miracles that Hashem does for us. Chanukah teaches us both of these lessons. We should learn from here that along with being thankful for the great, extraordinary miracles of life, we should also appreciate the more common miracles that Hashem does for us. It is our hope that this Chanukah, we should all be zocheh to fully appreciate everything that Hashem does for us, and that we should be better people because of it, ultimately to bring the coming of Moshiach, Bimheirah Biyameinu, Amen!

29 SHOULD THE MENORAH GO BACK OUTSIDE?

Rabbi Moshe Walter, in a lengthy article in Hakirah 16 (pp. 233 – 246), notes st that “21 century Jews” have, in general, adhered to a very detailed RABBI MAYER observance of halacha. If we think about it, there is little question that our SCHILLER tefillin, arba minim, and other mitzvah-oriented objects are vastly superior to those which were the norm in earlier centuries. This accentuates the question MAGGID SHIUR of why lighting the menorah next to the door outside our dwellings, in the ideal fashion, has not been accepted by most of contemporary observant Rabbi Schiller joined the Jewry. MTA faculty as a Maggid Shiur in 1987, and in the 33 This question is one which has occupied the poskim, not only of late but even years since, he has influenced countless reaching back to the days of the Rishonim, many of whom were also part of Talmidim with his unique communities who no longer lit the menorah outside. blend of warmth and intellectualism. Rabbi In order to explore this question adequately, we need first to provide a brief Schiller is the author of several books, including overview of the halachic issues. (For those desiring a more prolonged The Road Back, an exploration of the varied pesakim on this, the just mentioned Walter article investigation of the different doctrines within should provide initial reflections and detailed source material.) Having done Orthodox Judaism; The this, we hope to discuss a further question of to what degree should tradition Guilty Conscience of a Conservative, a critique of (mesorah) replace what is the apparent halacha in situations where the the American Right; and traditions seem to be time and place generated. And He Shall Judge His People With True Judgement, a monograph First, then, we turn to the basic halachic contours. The Gemara in Shabbos in defense of the (21b) quotes a braisa which states, “The Chanukah light is a mitzvah to place philosophy of Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch. on the doorway of one's house on the outside; if one lives on an upper floor, he should place it in a window next to the public domain. In a time of danger, one should place the menorah on his table, and that is enough.”

Tosfos (d'h “mitzvah”) there adds that the ner (light) must actually be outside of the property, such that in a situation where a large courtyard lies between the house and street, the lighting must take place outside the courtyard. Another Tosfos (d'h “ub'shaas”) clarifies that the “danger” referred to was from idolaters, who on their holidays forbid lights to be lit anywhere outside their own houses of worship.

It seems that, already in the days of the later Rishonim, the accepted practice was that “even though there was no longer any danger, if there once had been, then the menorah should continue to be lit inside.” (See Sefer Ha’ittur, Hilchos Chanukah following the explanation of the Pesach Hadvir.)

The Sefer Ha’ittur was written by R. Yitzchak ben Abba Marri, who lived in France in the twelfth century. Despite this ruling, the Shulchan Aruch, following the Tur and his own conclusions in the Beis Yosef (671:5), simply codifies the law as stated in the Talmud to light outside. However, the Rama notes that the custom is that “all light indoors.” (671:7)

The Rama goes on to say that even when lighting inside the house, “the 30 custom is to still light in the tefach which is close to a door, as was done in their days.” (ibid. op cit.) This is explained in the Mishnah Berurah (671:37) as fulfilling the “appropriate custom (minhag nachon)”, as the Biyur Halacha describes it, to enter surrounded by the two mitzvos of Ner Chanukah and mezuzah. In truth, this concept of having mitzvos on both sides is found in the Gemara (Shabbos 22a), but is unclear whether it only applies when lighting outside. And, it is also unclear whether the “door” referred to by the Rama might be one completely inside the house, where the notion of “entry” between the mitzvos might not apply.

The Rama also does not explain why it is “our practice” to light inside. Is it only due to danger, or might it be a continuation of the Sefer Ha’ittur notion of a custom continuing even if its reason has ended?

In fact, there have been several other explanations ofered throughout the years for not lighting outside. The Rivash (1326 - 1408) seems to feel that “the hand of the nations is always upon us” and that this simple “hatred” is sufcient to not light outside (Siman 111). Alternatively, Ritva (1260 - 1320) sees the move indoors as binding only when “the wind makes it impossible to light outdoors” (Shabbos 21a). The Munkatcher Rov, R. Chaim Eluzar Shapiro (1868 - 1937) also sees the move indoors as only understandable if due to climate-related change (Nimukei Orach Chayim 671). Moreover, he asserts that if there is a chance of wind “and especially in the winter," if the lights will be extinguished before the time of lighting has ended, then the entire lighting becomes retroactively invalidated, since it is similar to not putting sufcient oil in the menorah.

Others, however, maintain, along with R. Yaakov Emden (1697 - 1776), that bad weather is no excuse. Rather, a glass structure should be constructed to protect the menorah, and we should continue to light outside. The requirement to light in a glass enclosure is firmly rejected by the Aruch Hashulchan (1829 – 1908) for three reasons: 1) in his areas (Lithuania), Chanukah falls in the winter months, with frequent snow and strong winds, 2) using a glass might limit the mitzvah being seen and, therefore, not be within the halacha of publicizing the miracle, 3) not all Gentile communities will allow Jews to do this outside. He also adds that it is that Chazal would not require us to fulfill the basic mitzvah in such a demanding fashion.

This psak is followed by the Chayei Adam (154:12) of R. Avroham Danzig (1748 - 1820) and the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (139:7) of R. Shelomoh Ganzfried (1804 - 1886), who both rule that whenever we live among non-Jews, we should light inside.

Contemporary poskim are engaged with whether those who live above twenty amos from street level are better served by lighting in the window or in a doorway inside the house (or apartment) See, for example, in Shaar Hatzion of the Mishnah Berurah (671:42), where we find that under all circumstances, we must light below twenty amos. Others difer for a variety of reasons which will not detain us here. R. Moshe Feinstein's position seems a bit unclear. (Igros Moshe Orach Chayim 4:125)

R. Moshe Sternbuch of the Jerusalem Beis Din rules that so long as any Jew anywhere faces danger when lighting outside, then no one should do so, because those Jews may be tempted to run the risk of lighting, and thus bring about a potential danger. (Teshuvos Vihanhagos 2:140)

What emerges from the foregoing are, in broad strokes, three schools of thought: 1) To seek to continue the basic halacha of lighting outside, inside a glass if need be, if there be no danger involved; 2) To light inside if there be danger or weather related problem; 3) To always light inside, since once the practice of lighting outside was abandoned, it should not be brought back. Before ofering some final observations, we note in passing that there is a tradition cited in the Nikkei Orach Chayim that R. Zvi Elimelech of Dinov, the noted author of the Bnei Yissaschar, had a silver menorah which he kept in a glass enclosure. However, he never used it ,saying that it was 31 to be used only in the Holy Land at the coming of Moshiach.

Similarly, there are sources in kabbalah which maintain that today, lighting at a door and under ten tefachim (as is the simple ruling in Shulchan Aruch) is superior to lighting outside or even at a window. See, for example, Mekor Chaim (671: 70) of R. Chaim Hakohen (? - 1655), a disciple of R. Chaim Vital. There we find the statement “...we must under all circumstances light within a tefach of a door and below ten tefachim.”

So the question we posed initially, as to what degree practices born of history should end when the historical circumstances which engendered them have ended, seems to be an open one, demanding the usual combinations of investigation, reflection and tradition, a process which does not always ofer a clear consensus.

32 MITZVOS AND MIRACLES

In the story of Chanukah, we see the small army of Maccabees take on the mighty Greek empire. The Maccabees put their lives on the line to fight for the Jewish people, despite the fact that there was no natural way for the tiny NOAM Jewish fighting force to emerge victorious. Seemingly, the Macabees were STEINMETZ relying on Hashem to provide miraculous aid, which would help them to emerge victorious. This begs the question: to what extent is one allowed to YUHSB '21 rely on miracles? Throughout Shas, we see multiple instances of people relying on the merit of tzaddikim to perform miracles. The Gemara in Taanis Noam Steinmetz is a Senior at MTA. (20b) relates a story in which Rav Huna had stored some wine in a house He lives in Teaneck, New which was about to collapse. He wanted to remove the wine, so he brought Jersey, and is currently a talmid in Rabbi Cohen's Rav Adda bar Avaha into the house, since as long as Rav Adda was in the Beis Medrash Katan Shiur. house, it would not collapse. Sure enough, when they finished removing the Noam also serves as the Distribution Manager for wine, Rav Adda left and the house immediately collapsed. Upon hearing Shema Koleinu. what Rav Huna’s true intentions were, Rav Adda grew furious, stating, “al ya’amod adam bimakom sakanah vi’omer ‘osin li neis’” - a person should never stand in a place of danger and say, “a miracle will happen for me!”

The Gemara goes on to bring other examples of miracles being performed in the merit of tzaddikim. One of these stories tells that there was once a plague in Sura, the city where Rav lived, and when it arrived at the neighborhood of Rav, the plague suddenly stopped. The people began to rejoice, and believed that their city had been saved in the merit of Rav. However, it was soon revealed to them in a dream that this was too small a matter to require a gadol of Rav’s status. The neighborhood was actually saved in the merit of a man who would lend out his shovel to people for burials. Rav Yitzchak Meltzen zt”l the author of the Siddur HaGra, asks why it is relevant to the story that Rav’s merits were too great to warrant such an insignificant miracle? Rav Meltzen cites an answer from the Ohelei Yaakov, who writes that the Gemara in Bava Kamma (60a) says “once the force of destruction has been permitted to do damage, it will not distinguish between a tzaddik and a rasha.” This applies to one who is righteous, but not perfect. In the case of Rav however, his deeds were as good as perfect, and the destruction therefore had no power over him. Even if the plague had come to Sura, Rav would not have been afected, and therefore only in the zechus of the man who lent his shovel was the city saved.

This answer can show the incredible power of mitzvos. Even one seemingly small mitzvah can have a tremendous impact in a time of tzarah. This Chanukah, as we hope and daven for an end to the current tzarah in which we find ourselves, we should try to do every mitzvah the way it is supposed to be done. If we go out of our way to help others and perform the many mitzvos of Chanukah in the best way possible, perhaps we may be zocheh to see a return to normality as a result.

33 WOMEN AND PIRSUMEI NISAH

Based on Shiur given by Rav Mordechai Willig, shlit”a

Chanukah has many unique attributes unseen in most other holidays. One YISROEL notable diference about Chanukah is the fact that its main mitzvah, lighting HOCHMAN the Chanukah candles, is a mitzvas asei shehazman grama, an active

mitzvah with a set time. Normally, women are not obligated in this category of YUHSB ‘21, mitzvos, but this case is diferent, since “they were also included in the EDITORINCHIEF, SHEMA KOLEINU miracle.” This refers to the story of a woman named Yehudis, who tricked a major Greek general into falling asleep so that she could kill him. This fact that women were involved in the miracle makes all women chayiv in the mitzvah of Yisroel Hochman is a Senior at MTA. He lives in Ner Chanukah .

Brooklyn, New Jersey, and is currently a talmid in The extent of this chiyuv (obligation), however, may be more limited than the Rabbi Cohen's Beis Medrash Katan Shiur. chiyuv that men have. The Shulchan Aruch says, in regards to women by Yisroel also serves as Megillah reading, that they only have a chiyuv to hear the reading, unlike men Editor-In-Chief of Shema Koleinu. who have a chiyuv to both hear and read the Megillah. (The reason men don’t read is because of a concept known as shomeiah ki’oneh, which means that when a person hears something, in some cases, it can be considered as if he said it out loud.) The reason women have this lower-level chiyuv is also because they were involved in the miracle by Purim, as Esther was a central figure in the Purim story. This chiyuv, however, is limited just to hearing, since despite their being involved in the mitzvah, since it is still a mitzvas asei shehazman grama, there is still no full obligation. The part of the mitzvah that they are chayiv in is that which falls under the category of pirsumei nisah (publicizing the miracle). The aspect of women being involved in the miracle only makes them obligated to do the “publicizing the miracle” part of the mitzvah.

This same idea can be taken also to the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles. Women should only be chayiv in the pirsumei nisah aspect of the mitzvah, which in this case is limited to neir ish ubeiso, one candle per household. This is the reason why women can light and be yotzei other people in the house, despite not having the same level of chiyuv as the men in the house. Since they are chayiv in the aspect that requires the candle to be lit for the household, they can be yotzei the household.

There is one other mitzvah in which women are obligated for this same reason of “being included in the miracle”: the four cups of wine at the Pesach Seder. If what was said earlier is true, that this reason for obligating women only obligates them in pirsumei nisah, then we need to figure out where the pirsumei nisah is by this mitzvah on Pesach. In Maseches Pesachim (108b), the Gemara discusses two less-than-ideal ways to fulfil this mitzvah, each of which are lacking in some aspect of the mitzvah. If one drinks all four cups at once, he fulfils the mitzvah of celebrating the miracle, but not the

34 requirement of drinking four cups. Likewise, if one had very low-quality wine, he fulfils the strict mitzvah of having four cups, but he does not fulfil the mitzvah of celebrating the miracle. We see from here that there are two aspects to this mitzvah, both of drinking four cups of wine, and of celebrating the freedom of Pesach. If women are only obligated in the pirsumei nisah, since their requirement is based on them being involved in the miracle, it would stand to reason that their mitzvah would be fulfilled by drinking the four cups all at once!

This could also explain how there could be a machlokes if women are obligated in telling over the story of yetzias mitzrayim, despite their being obligated in the mitzvah of the four cups. After all, the mitzvah of the four cups is fulfilled at the Pesach Seder, of which the main purpose is to say the story of Pesach! According to the opinion that women are not obligated in the recitation of the story, the chiyuv of the four cups would only be based on celebrating the miracle, and therefore, they could technically drink all four cups at once, without actually attending the Seder.

35 BIRCHAS HARO’EH  SEEING IS BELIEVING

Picture the following scene: you have just left shul on Friday night of Chanukah, and you are walking in the holy city of Yerushalayim. You are RABBI YONI walking through the Old City, and are surrounded by the hundreds of STONE beautifully lit menorahs which line the streets outside. As you are admiring the scene, you suddenly realize that you did not light your own menorah that DIRECTOR OF night! What should you do? On one hand, the Gemara states if you did not ADMISSIONS light your menorah, and you see other candles burning, you are able to replace your lack of lighting with this action of seeing. On the other hand, it is Rabbi Yoni Stone serves as the Director of Admissions, Friday night, and you would not be allowed to light even if you somehow were and partners with Rabbi able to get yourself candles. Kahn in teaching the 9B Shiur(?). He is also The Gemara in Shabbos (23a) quotes Rav Yirmiyah, who states that one who pursuing his Master’s degree in Jewish sees a burning Chanukah menorah must recite a birchas haro’eh, a Education from the Azrieli berachah upon seeing. He explains that just as there is a mitzvah to light the Graduate School of Jewish Education and candles during Chanukah, there is also a mitzvah to see the light.

Administration. Rabbi Stone has been part of the At first glance, this seems like a strange mitzvah. We do not find other Mitzvos MTA family for the past several years, coaching the where if you are not able to accomplish the mitzvah yourself, you can fulfill Varsity hockey team and your obligation by seeing someone else do the mitzvah. As a result, there is a JV softball team. debate as to what the nature of this mitzvah of seeing is by Chanukah. The scenario raised above will help shed light on how we are to view this mitzvah, since the dilemma which we raised is exactly the question of what the nature of the mitzvah is. Do we say that seeing candles lit is an extension of your own lighting? In that case, you would only be able to say the birchas haro’eh when you yourself could light, which would mean that making this berachah on Friday night would not be an option. Or, do we say the purpose of the birchas haro’eh is to accomplish pirsumei nisah, publicizing the miracle which Neiros Chanukah represent, which would apply even when one could not light their own candles?

We pasken that one should recite the birchas haro’eh even if they would not be allowed to light themself, since the purpose of the birchas haro’eh is to publicize the miracle of Chanukah, not to literally substitute for lighting candles. Based on this, we also pasken that if, on the sixth night of Chanukah, you pass by a menorah and can only see one of the lit candles, you should still recite the birchas haro’eh, since pirsumei nisah applies to whatever candle is visible.

This notion of pirsumei nisah is not unique to only the mitzvah of Chanukah. Pirsumei nisah also applies to the mitzvah of reading Megillas Esther, and by the four cups of wine we drink at the Pesach Seder. There is, however, one diference that separates the mitzvah of Chanukah from these other mitzvos. The pirsumei nisah by Chanukah represents what Hashem saved us from. The Yevanim were not trying to physically attack us, the way Achashverosh or

36 Pharoah were. Rather, they were trying to attach us spiritually. They wanted us to refrain from Torah and mitzvos. The candles represent our hakaras hatov to Hashem, that He saved us and enabled us to continue to serve him with Torah and mitzvos. On Chanukah, the notion of pirsumei nisah is intended to highlight that we are able to learn and do mitzvos in ways that prior generations were not able to. It is for that reason when one sees a menorah, there is an imperative to recite a berachah, to highlight to all what we are really accomplishing and what it represents. The idea that one can walk in the streets and recite a berachah on the menorah captures the essence of what we are trying to accomplish with this special mitzvah on Chanukah.

47 A VORT PER NIGHT

Night 1: Maoz Tzur If one were to read the words of Maoz Tzur, one would see that this song is a SHUA crash course in Jewish history. It starts of with a general introduction how PARISER Hashem always saves us, and how we want the Beis Hamikdash. It then goes on to talk about Egypt and how we were enslaved there, and how Hashem YUHSB ‘20 took us out. The next stanza talks about Galus Bavel, and how we were saved after seventy years. Next, we mention how Haman and his ten sons were

Shua Pariser graduated hanged by the story of Purim. We go on to talk about the two miracles of MTA in 2020, and has since Chanukah, and we then ask Hashem to save us from bad, revenge the blood gone on to learn in Yeshivas Yishrei Lev in spilled over the many centuries of persecution, and send us Moshiach. Why Israel. Shua also served as is it necessary to go over all the exiles that we experienced as a nation Editor-In-Chief of Shema Koleinu during his Senior specifically on Chanukah? Additionally, why is it that Parshas Vayeishev year at MTA. always falls around the time of Chanukah?

At the beginning of Parshas Masei, the Torah tells us all the stops that the Bnei Yisroel made in the desert. Rashi asks, what is the reason for this recap? We spent three sefarim of the Torah talking about Bnei Yisroel in the desert, so what need is there to repeat? Rashi brings a mashal of a father and son. The son became ill, and his father had to take him to a distant city to be cured. As the pair return, the father makes sure to visit each spot which they saw on the journey there, saying “here you felt cold, here you felt hungry”, and so on. This recollection helped the son to recognize the good which Hashem did in saving him.

In Parshas Vayeishev, one common theme between the three stories in the parsha is clothing. Yosef is sent into exile because of clothing, his coveted Kesones Pasim; Tamar disguises herself to Yehudah with clothing; and Yosef escapes Eishes Potiphar by abandoning his coat. Yosef’s brothers did not like that their brother got a fancy cloak and they did not, and that began Yosef’s galus. Tamar was able to pretend she was someone else, just by changing up her clothing. People are often judged by their clothing, whether it’s a big furry hat, or a kippah serugah and a blue shirt on Shabbos. We know that the reason the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed is because of sinas chinam, baseless hatred. Judging someone based on something as superficial as clothing is pure sinas chinam. This is why Tamar changed her clothing, because she was going to be judged. She heard what the brothers did to Yosef, so she changed so Yehudah would not judge her. This is perhaps the reason why we sing about all of our redemptions on Chanukah, and also why we read Parshas Vayeishev around Chanukah time. It is to remind us that we are in galus because of sinas chinam, such judging people by their clothing. And, it’s to remind us to thank Hashem for all the good that He did and does for us.

38 Night 2: Shabbos Chanukah: Elah Lirosam Bilvad Inspired by Rabbi Moshe Auslander

Many times, people find themselves asking how they are meant to derive benefit from certain people or events. The possuk says that ner Elokim nishmas adam, the candle of Hashem is the soul of man. After lighting the Chanukah candles, we sing the song of Haneiros Halalu, in which we say “haneiros halalu kodesh hiem, vi’ein lanu reshus lihishtameish bahem, elah lirosam bilvad” - these lights are holy, and we have no permission to use them, but only to see them. This possuk, along with this line, can help us appreciate how to get the most out of each person. There are some people that one can derive benefit from, like a good chavrusa, or a powerful, life-changing speaker. At the same time, however, there are some people which have a neshamah like the candles of Chanukah; the benefit, the inspiration, comes just from observing them and watching how they conduct themselves.

Night 3: The Festival of Lights Inspired by Rabbi Doniel Staum

Every yom tov is either in the beginning of the month, or the middle. Only Chanukah is at the end of a month. Why is that? If we think about this, we can come to a fairly simple but powerful answer. The beginning of the month is when the moon is renewed. It is at its new state, where the light is getting stronger and stronger. The middle of the month is when the moon is at its strongest. But, the end of the month is when the moon is the weakest. It’s the darkest part of the month. We therefore have Chanukah at the end of the month, to light up the end of the month.

Night 4: The Importance of Yeshiva Inspired by Rabbi Tanchum Cohen

The Gemara in Shabbos (21b), in the first sugya of Chanukah, tells over a story about an Amora who didn’t learn the halachah that if a candle goes out, you need not relight it, because the main mitzvah is the action of lighting, until he was older. He said “I should have learnt it when I was younger.” The Gemara says that something learnt when you are younger stays with you much more than something which is learned when one is older.

One of my rabbeim from MTA, Rabbi Mendelson, taught me the following line: “mah tov biyeshivah, umah na’im li lihiyos talmid shel Hakadosh Boruch Hu” - how great is it in yeshiva, and how pleasant for me to be a student of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. We are so lucky to be able to learn sugyos when we are younger, when they will stay with us. We have the ability at every moment to acquire so much Torah. Take advantage.

Night 5: True Potential Inspired by Rabbi Baruch Pesach Mendelson

There is a halachah that the oil and candles that were used for Chanukah, cannot be thrown out after. There is also a halachah that the oil in the cups that did not burn, cannot be thrown out. You need to use them for a diferent mitzvah. The reason is because they had a potential of being used for the mitzvah, so you need to keep that potential alive.

As we said by night number two, people are compared to candles, and haneiros halalu kodesh heim - these candles have tremendous kedushah. The potential that each person has is incredible. We need to keep that potential alive. We can’t simply throw it out.

Night 6: Hallel on Rosh Chodesh

Today, we have an obligation to recite Hallel, both because it is Chanukah, and also because it is Rosh Chodesh. The thing is, on Rosh Chodesh, there’s no chiyuv of Hallel. Hallel is only a minhag 39 (custom) on Rosh Chodesh, not a full-fledged obligation - as such, Sefardim don’t make a berachah on Hallel of Rosh Chodesh. The problem is, there is a possuk which says “ubiyom simchaschem, ubimoadeichem, ubiroshei chadsheichem” - and on your days of happiness, and on your holidays, and on your Roshei Chadashim This possuk would seem to equate Rosh Chodesh to a real holiday. Why is it that Hallel on Rosh Chodesh is just a minhag?

We know that on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Rambam says that there’s no chiyuv of Hallel, since the Books of Life and Death are open before Hashem, giving an increased sense of dread. Therefore, these is no din of simchah yeseirah, of increased joy and happiness. In mussaf of Rosh Chodesh, we call it a zman kapparah, a time of atonement. It could be that the reason why there’s no chiyuv Hallel on Rosh Chodesh is because there is judgement and forgiveness which occurs, which precludes the simchah yeseirah of a normal yom tov.

Night 7: The Importance of Shevach to Hakadosh Boruch Hu

We know that Chanukah is a Yom Tov which is midirabanan, Rabbinically ordained. On Chanukah, there is no chiyuv to have a seudah, a festive yom tov meal, but if someone washes on Chanukah, they can make their meal into a seudas mitzvah. However, Purim, which is also midirabanan, is a day where there is a chiyuv to have a seudah. Why did the rabanan set up these two holidays in this manner? What can be learned from this?

We all know that when it comes to Purim, Haman wanted to physically kill us, but by Chanukah, the Greeks wanted to kill our neshamos. Purim celebrates a physical salvation, so most of our mitzvos of Purim are physical, such as the seudah. On Chanukah, there is no chiyuv of seudah, but there is a chiyuv to say shevach, hallel, vihoda’ah (praise and thanks) to Hashem, as we do in the tefillah of Al Hanissim. This could be the food for the neshama, corresponding to the physical food which we eat on Purim.

Night 8: Lema’alah Min Hateva

Today is the last day of Chanukah, which is called “Zos Chanukah”. Why is this name given to this day? There are two ways of translating Zos Chanukah. The first way is the pashut (simple) way: “this Chanukah”. The second way is more ‘advanced.’ Zos Chanukah means that this, the eighth day of Chanukah, is Chanukah. What on earth does this mean?

We know that a bris milah happens on the eighth day of the baby's life. The reason for this is because we want to go above teva, nature, and take away a part of the body. The Mishkan was anointed on the eighth day. This is because, as much wood and gold was involved in the Mishkan, it was a place to go beyond teva, to connect to spiritual worlds beyond our own. The Greeks were all about teva, and they could not tolerate any spiritual practice which attempted to breach the walls of the natural order. The point of Zos Chanukah is to show that the Jews believe that it is possible to go beyond teva, to connect to Hashem even while in this world, despite what the Yevanim tell us. This could also possibly answer the famous question of the Beis Yosef as to why we celebrate eight days of Chanukah, despite the oil only burning miraculously for seven days. We take this extra day of Zos Chanukah to drive home the essence of Chanukah, the idea that we have the ability to go lima’alah min hatevah, above the boundaries of nature, and experience ruchniyus in our everyday lives.

40 WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH GELT?

Chanukah is known as a holiday of simchah, happiness, with many parties and celebrations revolving around these eight days. As many are accustomed to, it is known that many families give gifts to the children of the ISAAC COHEN family. These gifts are known as gelt, a Yiddish word for money, in order to teach children the value of tzedakah. However, when one examines this YUHSB '23 minhag, an obvious question starts to emerge. (And don't worry, this question doesn’t have one hundred answers.) Shouldn't we teach children Isaac Cohen is a about tzedakah all year round, not just on Chanukah? Sophomore at MTA. He lives in Teaneck, New Jersey, and is currently We can further this question from another source. The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch a talmid in Rabbi (Siman 571) rules: “It is forbidden to derive any benefit from the lights of the Axelrod's Shiur. Chanukah menorah... even to use the light to count your money.” When teaching us the laws of deriving benefit from the light of the menorah, the Kitzur chooses to use the example of giving money. Clearly, giving gelt and money in general is a big part of Chanukah. But what is the deeper meaning behind this custom? Why does money have anything to do with Chanukah?

While money is really just fancy pieces of paper and metal, it is a fact that we do not just see money as these materials. For example, we see money as a way to pay each other, buy food, give tzedakah, or perhaps surprise our loved ones with lavish gifts. We don't just see money as pieces of paper, but as potential for what the money can be used for. Now, this explanation may be seen as wonderful for an economics class, but how does this answer the question posed earlier?

Let's take a step back. It is understood that the Jews, as a nation, are known as an eternal nation. In other words, we are a nation that doesn't fade; that the traditions, laws, and nation as a whole never disappears. The Jewish people have witnessed the fall of the greatest empires; whether it be the Persians, Babylonians, or even the Romans, our ancestors have endured all of them and survived. The Jewish people were able to survive the toughest superpowers to continue in their role as “a light unto the nations”. The Chanukah candles represent the concept of potential - in other words, even though other nations may see darkness, we see light.

The Chanukah gelt is not simply money. It is representative of the same idea as the candles themselves. As stated before, the candles are also a representation of potential. Therefore, Chanukah gelt isn't just a way of teaching our children the importance of tzedakah, but also the concept of looking for potential; potential seen in the story of Chanukah, when we were up against a superior opponent, but were able to see light instead of darkness. Chanukah gelt teaches about potential in the same way, where ordinary materials are able to become something far more valuable. When we see pain, struggles, or people we may dislike, it is best to always see their potential, their light, in order so that we can grow to our greatest potential. 41 WHY FLICKERING LIGHTS ON CHANUKAH ISN'T THAT BAD

In Masaches Shabbos, the Gemara discusses which types of wicks and oils are allowed to be used for Chanukah candles, and which can be used for MEIR NESS Shabbos. When it comes to Shabbos, one can only use certain materials, which ensure that the flame will not sputter and that the flame will burn evenly. YUHSB '22 As a result, only oils and wicks which allow the oil to flow and spread easily are permitted. In contrast, by Chanukah, one can use any material of wick and Meir Ness is a Junior at any type of oil to light his candles. The obvious question is, why is there a MTA. He lives in Passaic, New Jersey, and is diference between Shabbos and Chanukah? We learn later on in the Gemara currently a talmid in Rabbi that the reason for this diference is because by Shabbos, we are worried that Mendelson's Shiur. one would relight his candles because they went out. On Chanukah, on the other hand, one may not benefit from the candles, and relighting them if they went out is unnecessary. Since the candles going out is not as much of a concern, the material used to light the candles is not subject to the same scrutiny as those used on Shabbos.

Rav Abraham Isaac Kook explains that the types of candles used for Chanukah represent the struggle that the Maccabees had with the Greeks. He goes on to say that the Torah is the essential part of Judaism, and if it were to falter, the Jewish people could not survive. This is represented by the Shabbos candles, which requires pure oil to burn without flickering. However, many times throughout Jewish history Jewish people have been drawn towards the ideas and beliefs of other nations. They have veered from the Jewish path because of philosophical speculation and theories. For a while, there were chachamim who would explain these non-Jewish teachings through the Torah. The thing is, that these ideals and foreign philosophies are always changed and refuted. They are like the flickering flame that can never remain steady, unlike the Torah which is eternal. So, when one tries to take these foreign philosophies and learn them with the Torah, they always will fail to produce a bright and even light. Eventually, all of these interpretations will “flicker out”. Although Torah is the eternal truth, most people will say that if a philosophy doesn't fully work with the Torah, then it must be because the Torah is incorrect. Chanukah teaches us that these secular philosophies are forever changing, and it is not our duty to make them fit with the Torah - “When their light goes out, they need not be relit.” Certainly, we should not make practical changes to Torah observance based on these ideas - “it is forbidden to make use of its light.” Making modern philosophy and the Torah work together may be useful to quell the thoughts of one who has trouble believing, but we should never take modern philosophy and change the Torah because of it. This is the main part of the mitzvah of Chanukah, and the main thing we should take from lighting the candles. Even though it seemed that the way the Greeks thought about the world was correct, we as Jews still held onto our belief in the everlasting truth of the Torah and fought our way to victory. The way we celebrate Chanukah, with the halachos surrounding the 42 candles, teaches us this lesson. In the end, we can see that in our everyday life, the Torah is around us and surrounds us with its brilliance and glory. In every action we do, we should always think about why we do them, and how this relates back to us being a better Jew.

43 WHY IS THERE NO MENTION OF THE OIL IN AL HANISSIM?

When analyzing the text of Al Hanissim, the special tefillah added to Shemoneh Esrei and Birchas Hamazon during the eight days of Chanukah, it YONATAN seems as if we are only commemorating the miracle of the Chashmonayim’s BURNS military victory against the Greeks. The text includes the words “vihidlik neiros bichatzros kadshecha” - and they kindled lights in Your holy YUHSB '22 courtyards - but we completely leave out the famous story in which the kohanim entered the defiled Beis Hamikdash and were miraculously able to Yonatan Burns is a Junior at MTA. He lives in find the single sealed bottle of pure olive oil left among all the unholy and Bergenfield, New Jersey, defiled keilim. This oil would last for eight days, until the Jews were able to and is currently a talmid in Rabbi Mendelson's Shiur. produce more pure oil. Ask any child about the miracle of Chanukah, and they will surely mention the oil! So why do we not mention this in our tefillos?

The Gemara in Maseches Pesachim (16a) records a debate among Tana’im whether liquids used for the avodah in the Beis Hamikdash have the ability to become tamei midi’oraisa (Biblically impure). Elsewhere, the opinion of Yosi ben Yoezer of Tzereidah is cited in the mishnayos of Maseches Ediyos (8:4), He believes that the liquids used by the Beis Hamikdash (ie. water, oil, wine, blood) are not at all subject to tumah min haTorah, and the only way they can become tamei is midirabanan (Rabbinically)! Seemingly, according to Yosi ben Yoezer’s opinion, on a di’oraisa level, the miracle of finding oil with an unbroken seal was not even necessary, since the oil was not impure on a di’oraisa level! It was not great that they found the oil with an unbroken seal, since they didn't even need it - the “great” miracle that occurred would only have been to avoid violating a gezeirah midirabanan.

While it is not known for certain who composed the tefillah of Al Hanissim, many believe it the author to have been Rabbi Saadya Gaon, a renowned Rabbinic figure from the 10th century. A similar version of Al Hanissim to what is commonly recited today was found in his personal siddur. With this question regarding the oil’s ability to become tamei, is it possible that Rav Saadya was of the opinion of Yosi ben Yoezer, and felt that the finding of the oil was insignificant, as the kohanim could have used the “impure” oil. Is this why the finding the sealed jug of oil is nowhere to be found in Al Hanissim?

In reality, the miracle of the oil cannot be dismissed. In fact, the Gemara (Shabbos 21b) wholly attributes the reason for celebrating Chanukah as commemorating the miracle of the oil! (Commenting on the Gemara’s words “Mai Chanukah” - what is Chanukah, Rashi explains that the Gemara is asking for which miracle do we establish the celebrations of Chanukah. Since the Gemara follows with a description of the miracle of the oil, it follows that the Gemara believes this to be the primary motivation for the holiday). Rabbi Saadya could not have disregarded the oil, commemorating Chanukah only because of the military victory. But, how do we reconcile the clear significance of this miracle with the opinion of Yosi ben Yoezer, who would 44 seem to believe that this miracle was wholly unnecessary?

Rav Avraham Halevi Gombiner zt”l, author of the famous Magen Avraham commentary on Shulchan Aruch, writes in Zayis Ra’anan, his commentary on midrashim, that the oil found in the Beis Hamikdash was indeed not tamei. Rather, the Chashmonayim did not want to use it out of concern that it had been used as part of an idolatrous service. Therefore, to the Chashmonayim, concerned about lighting the menorah, finding sealed oil was still a miracle.

Rav Hershel Schechter shlit”a (recorded in the book Rav Schechter on the Moadim) explains that the ability of liquids in the Beis Hamikdash to become tamei was debated over several generations. He explains that in the time of the story of Chanukah, it was accepted that oil could in fact become tamei. But, if the story of the oil happened years later in the time of Rav Yossi ben Yoezer, the story of the oil would not have been seen as a miracle, as the accepted ruling of the time was that oil of the Beis Hamikdash cannot become tamei. According to Rav Schechter's answer, finding the tahor oil was indeed significant in the times of the Chashmonayim, and therefore, it was a miracle in their eyes.

So, if we have established that the miracle of finding the oil was indeed significant, does that not warrant inclusion in our tefillos? The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt”l, answers this question in his sefer Likutei Sichos. The Rebbe explains that while we believe that both miracles are the reason for which we celebrate Chanukah, the miracle of oil seems so much greater than the military victory. While the small army of Chashmonayim were unlikely to defeat the Yevanim, the military miracle was only physical. That seemingly pales in comparison to the miracle of the oil, which signifies Hashem’s Divine intervention in our natural daily lives! The Rebbe explains that if the two miracles were specified next to each other in Al Hanissim, one miracle (the oil) would look greater than the other. But this is not true! To avoid this, we commemorate the miracle of the oil with the lighting of the menorah, and commemorate the miracle of military victory in the tefillah of Al Hanissim, so as to signify the importance of both.

45 THE SOURCE OF TRUE JEWISH MIGHT

On Chanukah, we say the familiar tefillah of Al Hanissim in our tefillos and bentching to thank Hashem for saving us during the Greek oppression. RABBI When we describe the incredible odds that we overcame in our victory SHIMON against the Yevanim, we list a few diferent ways of contrasting the Jewish people and the Greeks: “giborim biyad chalashim, virabim biyad mi’atm, SCHENKER utimei’im biyad tehorim, uresha’im biyad tzaddikim, vizeidim biyad oskei ASSOCIATE torasecha” - “[He delivered] the strong into the hand of the weak, the many into the hand of the few, the impure into the hand of the pure, the wicked into PRINCIPAL the hand of the righteous, and the sinners into the hand of those who are involved in Your Torah. The last contrast - “the sinners into the hand of those Rabbi Shimon Schenker serves as Associate who are involved in Your Torah” - seems to be the most perplexing. What does Principal, and he has been the fact that we learned Torah have to do with the fact that we won the war? teaching in YUHSB since 2001. Rabbi Schenker has The first two comparisons clearly highlight the unlikeliness of our military a B.S. in Management victory, and the third one highlights our cultural diferences, clearly hinting to Information Systems from the Sy Syms School of the purity of the jug of oil. However, the last one seems to be the outlier; why Business of YU, an M.S. in focus on learning Torah specifically? Jewish Education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Education of YU, a Masters Rav Matisyahu Solomon shlit”a, the Mashgiach of Beis Medrash Govoha in in Special Education from Lakewood, explains in his sefer Matnas Chayim that while of course we need Herbert Lehman College CUNY and Rabbinic the Jewish people to be powerful, mighty, and pure, this is not where our true Ordination from RIETS of strength comes from. Rather, our true might emanates from our collective YU. He is also trained in the Orton-Gillingam Reading limmud Hatorah, and our collective connection to Hashem through learning Remediation by the Torah. We see this idea in a number of fascinating sources. In the possuk in Institute for Multi-Sensory Education. Rabbi Parshas Toldos, Yitzchak Avinu declares “hakol kol Yaakov, vihayadayim yidei Schenker was the Eisav” - the voice is the voice of Yaakov, but the hands are the hand of Eisav. recipient of the Grinspoon-Steinhardt The Medrash Eicha (Siman 2) says, as long as the voice of “Yaakov” (meaning Award for Excellence in Bnei Yisroel) is heard learning Torah in Batei Medrash in the world, the hands Jewish Education in 2013. He lives in Passaic, New of Eisav will not conquer us. The Sefer Ma’alos HaTorah asks: this Midrash Jersey with his wife and completely takes the words of the possuk out of context! Yitzchak was family. commenting on Yaakov’s disguise to try and take the berachos, not commenting on the power of Torah! Sefer Ma’alos HaTorah explains that according to the Midrash, the berachah of Yitzchak to Yaakov was that if Yaakov would continue to learn and be connected to Hashem, no enemy (even the hands of Eisav) would be able to touch him.

We have seen in every generation that when Klal Yisroel goes to war, the successes that they have defy logic. In fact, many are simply miraculous! These successes come entirely from the power which comes from the Torah learning of the Jewish people.

In Sefer Yehoshua (5:13, as expounded by the Gemara Megillah 3a), we learn that Yehoshua was visited by an angel who appeared to him as a warrior with a drawn sword, as if to threaten him and Klal Yisroel. When Yehoshua asked why the angel was there, The angel responded that he was there to punish 46 Klal Yisroel, because they did not learn Torah during their war to conquer Eretz Yisroel. The Alter of Kelm asks the obvious question: how could the angel implicate the Jews for not learning Torah when they were in the middle of a war, which makes them patur from learning? He explains that Rashi was sensitive to this question there in Maseches Megillah, and he therefore says that since they were not fighting at night, they should have learned at night. We see from this how high the bar is raised for public limmud Torah, and what we should be working towards; even when life is incredibly busy and difcult, we still need to find time to learn and grow.

Our personal growth is what fuels our collective and national salvation and success. This is what Rav Eliyahu Lopian points out from the aformentioned Gemara in Megillah, that the malach appeared to Yehoshua as a soldier, not as a rosh yeshiva, even though “he” was there to give mussar about not learning Torah. Rav Lopian explains that the malach was teaching Yehoshua that “I am appointed to fight your wars for you, but I can only do so if you do your part and continue to learn Torah.”

We should all take the lessons of the great tzaddikim of the Chanukah story and continue to learn and grow even in the most challenging times in our lives, and light up the darkness with the light of Torah.

47 THE LIGHT IS WITHIN

Chanukah is a holiday full of excitement and energy. Everywhere you go, you encounter doughnuts, dreidels, chocolate, lights, and much more for eight ARYEH full days. However, these days seem to be very strange. In the darkness of MARGOLIN the night, during the longest nights of the year, when things get difcult, and the light doesn’t seem to be rising on the horizon for a while, that is YUHSB ‘18 specifically when we should light candles? That’s when we should show the light? It almost feels fake. We feel lost, alone, cold and worried. The darkness Aryeh Margolin graduated is no fun, and we don’t feel we can make it through. Why during these times, MTA in 2018. He went on to learn in Yeshivat Shaalvim, the heart of the winter, do we light candles? I think we can answer this with and is currently a talmid in what is probably the most famous question on Chanukah. Rabbi Eli Baruch Shulman's Shiur in Yeshiva The Beis Yosef (Orach Chayim 670:1) famously asks: why is Chanukah 8 University. nights? Didn’t the miracle only last seven nights? Since the kohanim had enough oil for one night, the miraculous burning of the oil was only for seven nights, not eight. There are more than five hundred printed answers to this question, but I would like to focus on the first one given by the Beis Yosef himself. The Beis Yosef explains that when they found the oil, they split it up into eight small cups, in order to have eight lights. Logically, if one cup was enough to burn for one whole night, then splitting that cup into eight sections would only allow each cup to burn for an eighth of the night. He explains that the miracle was that the oil in each cup lasted one whole night. The miracle was that when there was barely anything left, when we were down to the droplets, Hashem revealed himself and allowed us to continue that light. That light that signifies greatness and strength.

Many times, in life, we feel that all is lost, that we won’t be able to make it through. We have felt this especially during this tekufah. Corona has been hard for every person on this planet. Zoom, after zoom, after zoom. It's exhausting. Friends and family members have been sick, and nebach, in some cases, much worse. We feel drained. Some are close to yei’ush (giving up hope.) It’s exactly a time like this that we feel we don’t have much left to give. Then, right there, is exactly when Hashem comes to us and says “put in a little bit, whatever you have left, and I’ll take care of the rest.” Those bleak nights have so much greatness waiting inside.

It’s in those dark times, when we feel empty, that we can’t keep pushing forward, when we must understand that with the little bit we have, we must take one more step, and Hashem will take us by the hand. He will carry us through. We think we have a only few minutes of fuel left in our cup, but little do we know that when we light our flame anyway, Hashem can make it last for a long time. Hopefully, we will rise very soon from these dark times, as Hashem lifts us on his shoulders to carry us through these difcult times and every challenge we face in life.

48 THE SANCTITY OF SHABBOS

We find in the Book of Maccabees that during the Greek oppression, Jews used to hide in caves to keep Shabbos. On multiple occasions, the Greeks discovered their location and surrounded the opening of the cave. They PINCHUS commanded them to leave the cave or they would be killed. The people COHEN inside would always choose death, so they wouldn’t have to desecrate Shabbos. When Matisyahu heard about this, he said, “If we continue this YUHSB '24 way, they will kill us all, and there will be no Jews left.” So, he permitted them to fight back on Shabbos. Pinchus Cohen is a Freshman at MTA. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, and The obvious question is: Isn’t it a famous halachah that one may violate is currently a talmid in Shabbos to save a life? What had Matisyahu introduced that the Jews Rabbi Danto's Shiur. hadn’t known before him?

One can answer that the Greeks attacked the Jews on Shabbos deliberately to get them to retaliate on Shabbos and thereby desecrate it. The Bnei Yisroel therefore considered this a “sh’as hashmad” - a time when there is a lot of pressure from the goyim to abandon the mitzvos, in which case one must give up one’s life for any mitzvah. Matisyahu, however, convinced them that this situation was diferent, as the Jewish people’s very existence was being threatened.

We see from here the importance of the Torah, and how vital it is to our existence. There were times in history when Jews had to give up their lives for the mitzvos, but it’s not always that way. Nowadays, when it is relatively easy for us to learn Torah and perform the mitzvos, we certainly must utilize this opportunity.

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